An Army officer will stand trial in the murder of his wife, who was shot in their residence at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse in May.
Maj. Detric Kelly, 37, has been formally charged with premeditated murder and possessing an unregistered firearm in the May 15 death of Kimberly Kelly, said Jim Beinkemper, a spokesman for Fort Polk where Kelly will stand trial.
Authorities determined in an Article 32 investigation that there is sufficient evidence to proceed to a court-martial, or a military trial, the spokesman said. The process is comparable to a grand jury investigation and indictment under civilian law.
In what the Army called a case of domestic violence, Kimberly Kelly, 32, a Tulane University graduate student studying social work, was shot five times. Two of the couple's children were in the residence but did not witness the shooting, sources have said.
A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Detric Kelly was an assistant professor of military science and a member of the ROTC cadre at Tulane, according to the Army. The couple had been married about 10 years and moved to the area last year, after he returned from a yearlong tour in Afghanistan as commander of the 221st Ordinance Company, a reserve ammunition supply unit based in Indiana.
Detric Kelly has been in custody at the Beauregard Parish Jail.
Army prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty, and the court-martial has not been scheduled, Beinkemper said Tuesday. If prosecutors do not seek the death penalty, Kelly could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder. The firearm charge stems from Kelly's allegedly having a pistol at the naval installation without registering it with base commanders.
It was at least the second homicide at the air station since it opened 53 years ago. The first happened in 1958, when a sailor hacked another sailor to death with a firefighting hatchet.
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Paul Purpura can be reached at ppurpura@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3791.