OGDEN, Utah — An Ogden man who claimed he had accidentally shot his wife while in bed last year has been charged with manslaughter.
Chris Trivino was formally charged in the Second Judicial District Court of Weber County on Tuesday.
On Nov. 22, Trivino said he believed his wife, Jaycelin, was sleeping next to him when he thought he heard their home's security alarm go off and believed he saw a "dark figure" approaching the bed. He then grabbed his gun and fatally shot his wife in the abdomen.
Trivino originally told the 911 operator that he felt to see that Jaycelin was laying next to him, but admitted to responding officers that he actually did not look and did not make any callouts when seeing the figure.
"After Chris discharged his firearm, Jaycelin immediately screamed, and Chris knew that the dark figure was his wife. Chris reported to law enforcement that Jaycelin is known to, at times, wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or get a drink of water," the charging documents said.
An investigation showed that the alarm was not tripped during the night.
The documents allege that Trivino "regularly carries his firearm, shows it off, brags about it, and has openly left it unattended and unsecure at family events."
Family members had previously spoken with Trivino about the dangers of him being reckless with firearms.
Jaycelin Trivino, known to family and friends as Jaycee, graduated from Weber State University before going on to become a local art teacher at Highland Middle School.
