Man wanted in 2013 death of wife arrested in West Valley City

Man wanted in 2013 death of wife arrested in West Valley City

(Salt Lake County Jail)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man was arrested Monday on a manslaughter charge for allegedly giving his wife a bottle of "cheap vodka" despite doctors' orders she not drink because of the medications she was taking.

Lee J. McIntyre, 61, originally from Scipio, was charged in May in 4th District Court with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and tampering with evidence, a class A misdemeanor.

In October of 2013, McIntyre, who had not lived with his wife for two years but still occasionally stayed at her house on weekends, allegedly gave his wife vodka when she requested it. Janet McIntyre was "taking numerous medications for a variety of illnesses" at the time, according to charging documents.

She died Oct. 18, 2013, of "acute ethanol and mixed drug toxicity," the charges state.

Janet McIntyre's brother and sister-in-law, who lived next door, helped take care of her. Investigators noted in court documents that McIntyre was "a regular drinker during most of her adult life but had recently been placed on a strict alcohol restriction by her physician due to potentially lethal interactions with her prescribed medication."

Her family knew of the alcohol restrictions as it was a "frequent topic of discussion," and McIntyre would occasionally ask family members to bring her alcohol in spite of the restrictions, according to the charges.

Text messages revealed Lee McIntyre purchased vodka and brought it to Janet McIntyre the day before she died, the charges state. Lee McIntyre told police he only saw her consume a little bit.

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But he later admitted to police that "he found an empty bottle of vodka in a kitchen garbage can. When asked what he did with it, he said he took it to a nearby gas station and threw it into a Dumpster," charging documents state.

An autopsy on Janet McIntyre showed her blood-alcohol content at 0.14. The legal limit for driving in Utah is 0.08.

"There is probable cause to believe that Lee J. McIntyre recklessly caused the death of (Janet McIntyre) by supplying her with a bottle of vodka in spite of his awareness of the alcohol restriction put in place by (her) physician and in spite of his clear understanding of the potential effects of combining alcohol with (her) medication regimen," according to the charges.

An arrest warrant was issued in May. Prosecutors believed Lee McIntyre was staying with his parents in California at one point, but police say he had insisted to investigators that he was homeless.

McIntyre was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Monday by West Valley police.

Details of his arrest were not immediately known Tuesday.

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Pat Reavy

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