“The Shield” Actor Michael Jace Arrested for Allegedly Killing His Wife
On the evening of May 19, 2014, gunshots rang out in a Los Angeles area neighborhood where the actor Michael Jace lived with his wife and two younger children. The actor called the police and stated that his wife had been shot and other neighbors had also called 911 about the gunshots. April Jace, Michael Jace’s wife of 10 years, was found dead in a hallway from multiple gunshot wounds. It is unclear whether the children witnessed the shooting, but they did appear to be at home at the time. Jace was arrested for the shooting, but has not yet been charged and is not expected to be seen before a judge before May 22.
The shooting apparently happened shortly after April Jace came home with her two children from little league practice. About 10-15 minutes after being seen coming home with her children, neighbors reported hearing multiple “pops” coming from the home. Police found Jace unarmed with his wife dead in a hallway and arrested him.
Jace is well known for his role as Julien Lowe in the TV series “The Shield”. He also had roles in other televisions shows as well, including Private Practice, The Mentalist, NYPD Blue and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Jace also played the part of a black panther in the movie Forrest Gump. In recent years he has apparently been having financial difficulties, declaring bankruptcy in March 2011, a bankruptcy that has not been discharged. He is also currently in default on the mortgage to the home where the shooting took place and has been having trouble making other payments to creditors.
While the couple had no history with the police when it came to domestic violence incidents, it is a suspected factor in the shooting. During a custody case involving the mother of his teenage son, a friend testified that she had seen Jace attack that woman by choking and hitting her while she was holding their child.
It is too early to speculate on what the ultimate charge is going to be in this case, as much of it will have to do with the events surrounding the shooting and things such as premeditation. There are many variables that go in to charging someone with a homicide crime. While charges will have to be made somewhat quickly in the case, there will be a chance to modify those as more evidence comes up in the investigation. It is pretty likely, however, that Jace will be charges with an upper level offense, such as first degree murder, with the possibility of modification of those charges if other evidence is found.
