HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — A former Fort Campbell soldier who was accused of killing his wife and trying to make it look like a suicide has been convicted of manslaughter.

Christian County Circuit Judge Andrew Self issued the verdict against Michael Korolevich on Thursday after a bench trial, in which a judge hears evidence and renders a decision without a jury.

Korolevich was charged in the December 2011 shooting death of his wife, Kathleen McGee, in Oak Grove. She was shot in the head at the couple's home the day after she was discharged from the Army and returning from her post in Germany.

The judge said he doesn't think Korolevich meant to kill his wife, but he did display disregard for her life.

According to testimony from police, Korolevich picked his wife up on Dec. 2 from an airport in Nashville, Tennessee, and they drove home and argued before he called police to report she had been shot. At first, he told police she shot herself. He later confessed to shooting her, but then recanted.

Prosecutors said Korolevich never offered a good defense as to why he shot his wife.

"You cannot just kill someone because you're angry," prosecutor Lynn Pryor said.

Defense attorney James Phillips said Korolevich in his written confession clearly stated he didn't mean to shoot his wife.

Sentencing was set for March 4.

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