Army Specialist Skylar Nemetz has been sentenced to the maximum term of 13 and a half years in prison in connection with the killing of his 19-year-old wife, Danielle Nemetz. The case dates back to Oct.16, 2014, when Nemetz allegedly shot his wife in the back of the head inside her apartment in Lakewood, Washington. According to reports, Nemetz initially said the shooting was a tragic accident that occurred while he was clearing an AR-15. However, prosecutors said he later admitted to killing his wife in what they described as a “fit of rage.”.

According to Law & Crime Network, prosecutors argued that Skylar Nemetz killed his wife after learning another man had stayed at the apartment while he was away for military training. The jury rejected the first-degree murder charge but convicted Nemetz of first-degree manslaughter. 

A video posted by the Law & Crime Network reported that Danielle dropped out of high school to marry Skylar, after knowing him for only three months. The couple had been married for a year and a half.  Friends later said they had noticed warning signs in the couple’s relationship before Danielle’s death.

According to the report, several friends of the 19-year-old noticed that she started wearing clothes that would cover more of her body and occasionally had finger-shaped bruises. Friends alleged Danielle lived under strict control by her husband. She was expected to follow a fixed routine of cleaning to keep him happy, and wasn’t allowed to get a job without his permission. 

Reportedly, Danielle had a difficult childhood after losing her mother at a young age. She was raised by her grandmother along with her siblings, and after her grandmother passed away, her stepfather took over her care. 

People who knew Danielle, including teachers and classmates, remembered her as someone who deeply wanted love and attention. She often formed strong emotional attachments, not only with her boyfriends but also with their families, who gave her the care and warmth she had been missing.

Because Nemetz served in the army, he was often away for extended periods, which may have been hard for Danielle, given her emotional needs. Diary entries cited that she may have been involved with someone else. Despite having limited money, she had sent roses to a man she described as only a friend shortly before she died. Prosecutors believed Nemetz, who had recently returned after being away with the army for three weeks, may have found out about it.

On the other hand, a CBS News report in 2017 suggests that Skylar was 21 years old when he was put on trial in Tacoma, Washington. At the time, during his interview with 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty, he had said, “ I feel like my heart was — ripped outta my chest and all the veins, too, with it the day that my wife died.”

He further confessed to killing her while admitting, “that’s the most painful thing out of all of this is knowing that I caused it.”