A Missouri man is facing first-degree murder charges after admitting to fatally shooting his wife because he was overwhelmed with caring for her and didn’t want her to end up dying in a nursing home. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, 73-year-old Kenneth Pautler was arrested on April 25, 2025, after allegedly killing his wife, 75-year-old Karen Pautler, inside their Fenton home. Authorities say Kenneth confessed that he was exhausted from being her sole caregiver and believed he was sparing her from the decline he feared she would face in a nursing facility.