Trial begins for man accused of murdering wife

The trial of Rickey Holdsclaw began on Monday, with the case centering on the death of his wife, Judy Helms, in Gaston County nearly four years ago. During the court proceedings, prosecutors played 911 calls from Holdsclaw, who admitted to shooting her. The 75-year-old became emotional when watching his police interview. Holdsclaw faces a charge of first-degree murder but prosecutors are pushing for a conviction of voluntary manslaughter. He stated that his wife was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and that he had been her primary caregiver. He shared that Judy had often said she did not want to end up in a nursing home, even telling him, “Don’t you ever let me wind up like that, you kill me first.” On the day of the incident, Holdsclaw said he felt overwhelmed as Judy's condition worsened. He retrieved a gun while she was asleep and shot her. Following the shooting, Holdsclaw called 911 and expressed a desire for the police to shoot him in return. He later conveyed to investigators that he felt he deserved to die but could not bring himself to take his own life. The trial is ongoing, with three witnesses left to be called. The judge will make a decision on the case after all testimony is complete.