December 26, 2012
        
A 74 year old man is in jail charged with killing his wife of 56 years.
       
Cheatham County investigators say Carl Johnson shot his wife on Christmas day.

Carl and Grace Johnson lived on Trouble road in Ashland City, but on Christmas Day, the trouble was inside.

Emergency dispatchers answered a panicked phone call in the early afternoon.

"911 received a phone call from the victim at her residence, she stated her husband was going to kill her," says Cheatham County Det. Dale Smith.

Moments later, dispatchers heard a single shot.
   
Investigators believe Carl Johnson used a 22 rifle to shoot his wife in the chest.
   
Cheatham County detective Dale Smith is learning more about what led up to the crime.

They've had some ongoing domestic issues yesterday, Christmas day, they continued to argue," says Smith.

Detectives won't say what the  argument was about.
    
We do know the Smith's had entertained family on Christmas Eve.
 
We also know Carl Johnson was taken for a mental evaluation in July after he shot a weapon inside his home, and made suicidal statements.

FOX 17 News reached out to family and friends who live close by, but they we're not ready to speak about the alleged murder. 

"Of course the most unusual thing is we're talking about a 74 year old man, and a 73 year old woman who had been married for 56 years, and then for it to happen on Christmas day is yes, quite unusual," says Det. Smith.

Carl Johnson, who has no prior criminal history, is now in jail on a $200 thousand dollar bond.

Detectives say Carl Johnson admitted to killing his wife.
    
He'll be back in court next month for a preliminary hearing.

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