Testimony: Before man killed wife he called dad to ask about jail

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It came out in court Thursday that before Shaun Wheeler allegedly shot and killed his wife, he called his dad on the phone.

Wheeler allegedly asked his father how prison was, because he wanted to kill his wife.

 "He was losing the argument and he decided she would lose her life," the judge said.

 We are learning for the first time the dark details of a nasty divorce that ended in gunfire. Prosecutors say a fiery argument pushed Shaun Wheeler, 39, over the edge.

 "He chose to pull the gun out of his pocket," said the prosecutor. "He chose to load it and he chose point it at his wife's face, he chose to pull the trigger."

 He allegedly shot his wife in the head but missed. When she retreated to the couch inside of their Rochester Hills home, he fired again. This time a fatal shot to the back of the head.

"He stated that they were arguing (and) he was angry, mad and devastated by her," said Det. Scott Cadco, Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

 A 911 call came in March 12th as Wheeler's brother told dispatchers he got to the couple's home where he found Cory Ehlers, 41, slumped on the couch in a pool of blood.

 Wheeler didn't hide what he's accused of. He drove himself to the Oakland County Sheriff's Sub Station in Rochester Hills to confess.

He kneels to the ground, he puts his hands behind his head and he says to me 'I just killed my wife,'" testified Deputy P.J. Reynolds.

Reynolds was the desk sergeant on duty when Wheeler came in, to confess.

 "I turned to Det. Schroder and said, 'Aren't we on a death investigation right now?' And he said yes," Reynolds said.

Testimony lasted less than an hour Thursday. Wheeler's defense attorney tried to say it was not premeditated murder. 

But the judge said she had a different take sending this case to trial.

"He killed his wife, the mother of his children," said the judge. "And Mr. Wheeler will stand trial for the first degree murder of his wife."