BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — The man accused of shooting and killing a woman in Battle Creek with a crossbow will stand trial.
The Battle Creek Police Department says the victim, 44-year-old Kori-Lee Moser, was shot on April 2. She was transported to the hospital where she later died.
The suspect, 59-year-old Joel Wagner, was arraigned two days later. He pleaded not guilty to open murder.
According to Detective Michael Harrison Jr., Wagner explained that the crossbow was hanging on the wall and he hadn't touched it, prior to the incident, for about a year.
Harrison told the court that Wagner grabbed the crossbow when he thought two people entered his home. "At that point, he stated that he grabbed a crossbow off the wall. It was laying it down on the bed while he was attempting to wake up Ms. Moser," he said.
He claims the crossbow went off while trying to wake her up. Battle Creek Police Officer, Andrew Olsen, couldn't recall if the weapon's safety was on when he got to the scene, but it did work properly when he performed a function test.
Test results suggest Wagner was on amphetamines and methamphetamines when the shooting took place. We’re told he hadn’t slept in four days before then.
Wagner reportedly confessed to investigators he had not been sleeping and that he was high, repeatedly claiming the shooting was accidental.
We’re told Moser was also high but medical testimony shows the crossbow bolt killed her, not the drugs.
Wagner was denied bond. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
