A Nevada man accused of killing his wife with antifreeze and painkillers pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Tuesday to avoid going to trial.
Gregory "Brent" Dennis, 59, entered an Alford plea after he was arrested four years ago for the death of his wife, Susan Winters, in 2015, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
An Alford plea is when the defendant maintains innocence but acknowledges that the prosecution has evidence that would likely prove guilt if the case were brought to trial.
"Brent Dennis resolved this case without making any admission of guilt in order to eventually return his life to normalcy," defense attorney Richard Schonfeld said in a statement.
In January of 2015, Winters, 48, was found dead in the couple's Nevada home. The corner originally ruled her death a suicide because of the lethal amount of antifreeze and prescription painkillers in her system.
But investigators said Dennis lied to them about Winters' death, and they discovered he would greatly benefit financially from her death, giving him motive, according to the arrest report.
Dennis was set to inherit $2 million after his wife's death, including a $1 million life insurance policy payout.
He was arrested in February of 2017, released on a $250,000 bail and has been out ever since.
Review-Journal articles raised questions about Winters' death being ruled as a suicide and the Clark County coroner's office changed the manner of death to undetermined.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said that at the time of Winters' death, the couple was on the verge of separation, and Dennis, a psychologist, was dealing with a cocaine addiction that was draining his finances.
DiGiacomo said that after Winters, a part-time North Las Vegas judge, took the opioids, Dennis waited to call 911 and issued a do-not-resuscitate order for her at a hospital.
Shortly after Winters died, Dennis deposited into his bank account $180,000 that he later told a friend he obtained from his wife's account because he knew her parents would freeze her assets.
"The problem for Mr. Dennis is, he knew some nine hours before her death that she was going to be dead," DiGiacomo told the Review-Journal.
DiGiacomo called a possible 10-year sentence a reasonable outcome in a complex case involving a nearly 60-year-old defendant and circumstantial evidence.
His trial had been scheduled to begin next month.
Dennis is due for sentencing on May 10 before Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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