Bellevue man accused in fatal shooting of estranged wife

MAQUOKETA — A Bellevue man faces a first-degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of his estranged wife.

Christopher Eugene Prichard, 56, was arrested at 12:30 a.m. Sunday on a warrant for violating a no-contact order in place to protect his estranged wife, Angela Prichard, 55. Police also seized a 20-gauge shotgun.

Bellevue police found Angela Prichard dead from a gunshot wound just before 8 a.m. Saturday at the Mississippi Ridge Boarding Kennels, a business she operated on Highway 52 in Bellevue, according to a criminal complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Christopher Prichard told police he had been angry about the no-contact order and had gone to his wife’s business with a 20-gauge shotgun, intending to confront her. He told police he shot her and left.

Christopher Prichard had his first appearance in Jackson County District Court on Thursday and is jailed on a $1 million bond.

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