Insets: Ebony Owens and the Big Black River in Hinds County, Miss., where her body was found in 2023 (Hinds County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Michael Owens testifying during the murder trial for the death of his wife Ebony Owens in Hinds County, Miss., last week (WLBT).
A Mississippi man admitted on the witness stand that he shot his wife dead and then dumped her body in a river — telling jurors, “She made me snap,” according to reports.
Michael Owens, 37, of Edwards, is on trial for murder and arson in connection to the brutal 2023 killing of his wife, Ebony Owens, whose “burned” vehicle was found near their home and whose body was later pulled from the Big Black River after she was reported missing, police said in press releases.
“When I shot her, I said, ‘Baby, don’t die. Don’t leave me. Don’t die,'” Michael Owens alleged in court last Thursday, according to local ABC affiliate WAPT.
“She made me snap,” he told jurors.
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Owens reportedly claimed the couple had been arguing when Ebony reached for a gun and forced him to open fire, per WAPT. Investigators say it is one of several stories Owens told after Ebony’s initial disappearance
“I just, I feared for my life,” Owens said in court, according to NBC affiliate WLBT. “When I feared for my life, I just grabbed my gun. When I pointed my gun back, then when she turned her head like this, and that’s when I shot her.”
Owens added, “I was so mad I just shot her — shot her in the head.”
His lawyers have argued that there is not enough evidence to prove Owens premeditated the murder of his wife and set her car on fire, which prompted the arson charge, according to reports. Owens said Thursday that he regrets what allegedly happened.
“A marriage is not easy,” he claimed, according to WAPT. “A marriage is what you make of it. A marriage is a job. We had our ups and downs, our differences.”
Owens’ murder trial is expected to continue through the week, with closing arguments scheduled for Monday, per WLBT.
