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A Millard County man charged six months ago with manslaughter — accused of giving his wife "cheap vodka" despite doctor's orders that she not mix alcohol with her prescription — was arrested Tuesday in Salt Lake County.
Lee J. McIntyre, 61, was charged in May with second-degree felony manslaughter and class A misdemeanor tampering with evidence in connection with the Oct. 18, 2013 death of 58-year-old Janet McIntyre.
Lee McIntyre was transported to the Millard County Jail. Details about the circumstances of his arrest were not immediately available.
An initial appearance in the criminal case was scheduled for Monday in 4th District Court in Fillmore.
Until 2013, Lee McIntyre and his wife had lived together in Scipio for about 40 years.
On Oct. 18, 2013, Millard County sheriff's deputies arrived at Janet McIntyre's Scipio home to find her dead in the living room.
Lee McIntyre explained that he had arrived a short time earlier and tried to revive her, according to court documents.
A sheriff's sergeant learned that Janet McIntyre had been taking numerous medications for a variety of illnesses. She was a regular drinker for most of her adult life. Her doctor had recently placed her on a strict alcohol restriction, since combining alcohol with her medications could be fatal, court documents state.
Despite the restriction, Janet McIntyre asked her children, their spouses or her husband to bring her alcohol, the documents state. Lee McIntyre allegedly told his daughter-in-law that he bought "cheap vodka" for his wife within a week of her death. Forensic analysis of Janet McIntyre's phone showed that he knew about the restriction, but bought her the vodka the day before she died.
Lee McIntyre told investigators that after officers left his wife's home on the day she died, he found an empty bottle of vodka in the trash and threw it away at a nearby gas station. He later admitted to supplying his wife with alcohol, but insisted that she only drank a small amount in his presence, according court documents.
A medical examiner found that Janet McIntyre died of "acute ethanol and mixed drug toxicity," court documents state.
"There is probable cause to believe that Lee J. McIntyre recklessly caused [his wife's death]," the documents state.
He knew about the restriction and had a "clear understanding" of the potential consequences, court documents state. "There is also probable cause to believe that McIntyre tampered with evidence by removing the empty vodka bottle ... and disposing of it in a gas station dumpster."
McIntyre had been living with his parents in California after his wife's death, but was last contacted in the Salt Lake City area. He refused to give officers his address for either state — insisting that he was homeless, according to court documents.