Man charged with murder after throwing ailing wife over balcony

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who told police he threw his ailing wife off their fourth-floor balcony because he couldn’t afford to pay for her medical care was arraigned Thursday on charges of second-degree murder.

Stanley J. Reimer, 51, appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court to hear the charge in the death late Tuesday of Criste Reimer, 47.

Reimer did not have a lawyer at the hearing and requested representation by the public defender’s office. He remained jailed on $250,000 bond.

Reimer walked his wife to the balcony of their apartment Tuesday night and threw her over, according to court documents filed in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Criste Reimer’s body was found that night outside the apartment building, located near an upscale shopping district.

In the probable cause statement, police said Reimer told them he could no longer pay the bills for his wife’s treatment for neurological problems and uterine cancer.

Poor health

Criste Reimer had been in ill health for several years, according to Jackson County Probate Court records. Her weight had fallen to 75 pounds and she was partly blind. Court records also said she had no health insurance to pay for medical bills that ranged from $700 to $800 per week.

The judge scheduled another hearing for Sept. 10.