ST. CROIX COUNTY, Wis. (TCN) — A 56-year-old man has pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional homicide in connection with the death of his wife after he told police he believed she was poisoning him with their cats’ medication.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Pierce County Journal, police responded to a home on March 6, 2025, to conduct a welfare check. Earlier in the day, Chad Haworth had called police and claimed his wife had poisoned him with cat medicine and he had recordings of her. He told the police he felt safe and could leave if needed. When they arrived later for the welfare check, he claimed his wife’s lover had gotten rid of all the recordings of his wife on his iPhone.
Responding officers were reportedly warned Haworth might have a gun. When they spoke to him on the phone, he said his wife “was no longer with us” and that he had “snapped” and used “one of the finest cutting instruments known to mankind” on her, according to the criminal complaint. After a multi-hour standoff in which he threatened to kill himself, Haworth was apprehended after chemicals were deployed into the house.
CBS News reports a nearby neighbor counted 100 police and sheriff’s deputies on the scene. She called it a “harrowing experience.”
Haworth’s wife was found deceased in an upstairs bedroom with cuts to her face and neck, per the criminal complaint. Haworth was booked into jail after being cleared at a hospital.
Law & Crime reports Haworth was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, felony mayhem, and felony aggravated battery. He pleaded guilty in July to second-degree intentional homicide and was sentenced on Oct. 27 to 32 years in prison followed by eight years of supervision.
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