Former JBLM soldier breaks down as he tells jury his wife's shooting death was accident

TACOMA -- A former JBLM soldier charged with killing his wife broke down in tears Thursday as he told the jury in his murder trial that he hadn't meant to harm her.

Skylar Nemetz, a Joint Base Lewis-McChord based soldier, shot his wife, Danielle, 19,  in the back of the head while she was sitting at a computer on Oct. 16, 2014, at their apartment in the 8500 block of 82nd Street SW in Lakewood. He later told police he was cleaning his AR-15 rifle and didn't think it was loaded.

He has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Taking the stand at his trial Thursday, Nemetz broke down in tears and said, "I never meant to hurt my wife, never meant to hurt her."

After the gun went off, he said, "I went up to my wife on the left side and I saw her face and my wife wasn't there anymore ... I saw the gunshot wound ... I knew she was dead."

The prosecution, however, says Nemetz returned home from military training and discovered alcohol at his home. After some discussion, police said, Nemetz learned that a man had purchased the alcohol for his wife.  Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Nemetz thought his wife had been cheating on him and was angry.

Two hours later, he shot his wife in the back of the head with an AR-15 while she was at the computer, police said.