Ohio Transgender Woman Pleads Guilty to Homicide for Exercising Husband, 73, to Death

Published January 14, 2015

An Ohio transgender woman has pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for exercising her 73-year-old husband to death in an apartment complex swimming pool.

Middlefield police say surveillance video shows 41-year-old Christine Newton-John pulling James Mason around the pool by his arms and legs and preventing him from leaving. Mason had a heart attack on June 2 just after the extended swim session.

Police Chief Joseph Stehlik says a deputy investigated the death because of previous complaints that Mason was abused. Newton-John pleaded guilty on Thursday. She faces up to five years in prison.

Mason was a longtime friend of his wife's family. He knew her as John Vallandingham before she had gender reassignment surgery in 1993 and changed her name. They married in Kentucky in 2006.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/story/ohio-transgender-woman-pleads-guilty-to-homicide-for-exercising-husband-73-to-death