Husband loading pistol fatally shoots wife in head in New York

A husband shot and killed his wife of 56 years while she was in another room, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Authorities responded around 7:40 p.m. on Sunday evening to a house in Greenfield, New York, following reports of a gunshot wound to the head of a 74-year-old female.

Investigators said Joseph Cuva, 74, was in one room of the house and had just finished cleaning his 9mm pistol. He was loading the gun when it went off, and the bullet went through the wall and struck his wife, Charlene, who was in another room of the house, the sheriff’s office said.

The bullet struck her in the head, killing her, the sheriff’s office said. 

The couple, who married in August 1967, met on a blind date, according to an online obituary. 

At the time, Charlene took vows to become a nun, but the day before she was scheduled to join the convent, she went on a date with her future husband, the obituary said. The couple resided in Greenfield for 50 years and had three children.

The sheriff’s office is investigating the death, the news release said.