Former corrections officer accused of killing wife, forcing kids to help

LINK

A former Missouri probation and parole officer who later worked at a state correctional center allegedly killed his wife in front of some of his children, even making some of the youngsters help him abuse their mother.

Jonathan G. Houston, 44, was arrested after one of his children called 911 from a hotel and discreetly whispered to dispatchers that her father had "captured" her and her six siblings and had physically abused them for years, according to charging documents, KOMU reported.

Deputies responded to the report and found the children on Sunday at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Kingdom City One of the children told the deputies that their father had strangled their mother while some of the children were present 10 months earlier, according to the documents. Another child, who also recalled witnessing the strangulation, said her father told her he planned to kill her mother, who was later identified by deputies as Aunika C. Houston.

During that attack, Houston was allegedly gripping his wife by the throat when he forced one child to pour hot water down the woman's legs and another child to cover her mouth to muffle her screams, the documents show.

Houston had locked his three youngest children in the bathroom and instructed the children in the room to play loud music, so others could not hear their mother's screams, according to court records, KOMU reported.

The man allegedly then put his wife’s body in a trash bag and threw it into a dumpster.