A Texas man has been charged with gunning down his fiancee with shotgun, then living with her body for several weeks before the smell drove him to a motel.
William Joseph Oddo III, 52, told police when he was finally arrested on June 2 that he “wanted to lay” with LaVera Wardell after he murdered her, WTVO reported.
Denton Police say Oddo shot Wardell, 39, to death on May 6. A week later, Oddo purchased cleaning supplies at a number of stores. He was ultimately located at a motel in Mount Pleasant.
Oddo told police that he and Wardell got into an argument on May 6 and he shot her in the head when she allegedly ran at him with a knife. He cleaned the crime scene and stayed with the body, he said, for about three days, although he was seen buying cleaning supplies a week after the murder.
Police were called to the apartment they shared on May 19 because of a foul smell and found Wardell’s body.
Oddo has been charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence. He is being held on bonds of $160,000.
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[Featured image: William Joseph Oddo III/Denton County Sheriff’s Office]
