Court document: Man tells Tucson police he killed wife after she sought divorce

A Tucson man told police he killed his wife after she told him she wanted a divorce and began packing her belongings to move out of their house, according to a newly released court document.

Kenneth Nelson, 43, told police he killed his wife with a pocket knife, adding, "It wasn’t as satisfying as I thought," according to the document.

Nelson was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with the killing of Cyndie Nelson, 37. He is being held in the Pima County jail without bond.

On Wednesday night, police were sent to a home in the 2600 block of North Palo Verde Avenue, north of East Grant Road, after receiving a call from one of Kenneth Nelson's family members, according to an interim complaint filed by police in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court.

The family member said Nelson said he had killed his wife, the complaint said. The family member initially did not believe him, so Nelson texted her a photo of his wife's body. The family member then called police, the document said.

Police arrested Nelson at the home Wednesday. The complaint said he had blood on his clothes, arms and legs.

A large amount of blood was observed throughout the house and neighbors told police they heard screaming around the time of the incident.

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Nelson told police he had been married to Cyndie for seven years. The couple had been arguing after Cyndie told him that she wanted a divorce earlier this year, the complaint said. Online court records do not show any divorce proceedings involving the couple.

The day of the incident, Cyndie allegedly texted Nelson and "advised him that she was taking the baby, packing her stuff and going to stay at a hotel," the complaint said.

When Nelson arrived at the home, his wife was packing her belongings. He apparently doesn’t remember if they spoke, before he took a pocket knife and attacked her, the complaint said.

"Kenneth said that he had felt 'hollow' and 'angry' at the time, but could not articulate why he had cut his wife," the complaint said.

The couple’s 9-month-old daughter was found unharmed in a playpen in the living room. The complaint said Kenneth Nelson “thought about 'running' but had nowhere to go" and called someone to get the baby.

Police said the child is in the custody of the Department of Child Safety.

Nelson has a court appearance scheduled for May 28.