Legacy Matters
Transgender woman pleads guilty of exercising husband to death
An elderly Ohio man was "exercised to death" by his transgendered wife - who forced him to swim even as he gasped for breath, authorities said.
Christine Newton-John, 41, pleaded guilty last week to reckless homicide in the death of James Mason, 73, and could get five years in prison.
Cops said she was caught on video dragging her frail hubby around the pool in their apartment complex, stopping him from getting out 43 times.
"The man was exercised to death," Middlefield Police Chief Joseph Stehlik told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"The video is bone-chilling. The whole case is very sinister. My personal feeling is that what she did was more intentional than reckless.
"This is a case that could just slip through the cracks."
It didn't because Stehlik's deputy became suspicious after Mason's June 2 heart attack, recalling that he'd investigated previous allegations of abuse.
A police officer noticed a surveillance camera above the pool and retrieved the tape - which showed Mason struggling to breathe during the marathon swim session.