Shelby Twp. man sentenced for killing wife in domestic violence shooting

A Shelby Township husband was sentenced Wednesday to about 31 to 60 years for killing his wife in a domestic violence incident that ended in murder.

Joshua Boshell, 40, was sentenced to 375 to 600 months in prison after he was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Kristi Boshell. They had been married for just a year, and the victim's family said there was evidence of domestic abuse.

Police said they were called to the couple's apartment in Shelby Township on March 16, 2017, where Boshell had made his wife's death look like a suicide. Officials said Kristi was laying between the bed and the wall in the bedroom, with a handgun on her right thigh, but officers said it was placed in an unusual way. The scene looked suspicious, with Kristi's wedding band in the middle of the bed, police said. When officers asked what had happened, Boshell wouldn't say.

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"Boshell basically said: Kristi's dead. He used profanity, 'She's f***ing dead right? There's nothing I can do about it.' He was just very agitated," Shelby Township Police Det. Chris Killop said.

When Boshell was taken in for questioning, he told officers it was a typical Friday night. He said he and Kristi were drinking vodka when he heard a gunshot and found his wife had died by suicide. But when police pressed him about inconsistencies in his story, he eventually caved.

"It was an accident. He didn't mean to do it, but he did shoot her," Killop said. "Josh said, 'In fact, I'm not going to lie anymore - it was an accident.'"

Killop said Boshell came from the shower, pointed the gun at Kristi and the gun went off.

Boshell isn't the only member of his family to be charged with murder. In 2016, his brother Jeremiah was charged with killing his pregnant girlfriend in Lenox Township. Police said in that case, Jeremiah is accused of killing his girlfriend and trying to hunt down her former coworkers to kill them too. They also said he shot at an innocent bystander and police officers before his arrest.

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Kristi's mother spoke before the court, telling all those listening how much Kristi loved her son, Robert. His nickname: Peanut.

"I can still hear her saying, 'I love you, Peanut,'" she said.

Kristi's father said despite Joshua's attempts, she never deserted her family. He said Joshua treated Kristi like property.

"He never behaved like a man and certainly not as a husband ... He doesn't know what love is. He has shown no remorse for Kristi's murder," he said.

Then, Robert himself spoke.

"You took my mom away from me after only 14 years," he said, through tears. "My mom was my best friend. She helped me through thick and thin. You've taken an amazing person in my life and I will never get her back."

He said he'd had to call the police on Joshua for hitting Kristi, and found bruises on his mother under makeup.

"Kids should never have to bury their mom at 14 years old."

Watch the sentencing on FOX 2 News Now here: