Man Accused of Killing Wife Allegedly Out of Mercy

WOODBURY (AP) -- A man charged with sexually assaulting children on a school bus is now charged with killing his wife in a St. Paul suburb.

Authorities went to Harvey Kneifl's apartment at a senior living facility in Woodbury Thursday after he failed to show up in court for his trial on the sexual assault charges. Officers discovered the body of 72-year-old Julie Kneifl whose throat had been cut. They found Harvey Kneifl in the shower, bleeding from a neck wound.

A criminal complaint charging the 72-year-old man with second-degree murder says he told investigators his wife had Alzheimer's disease and that he killed her out of mercy so she could go to heaven.

The former school bus attendant was on trial on charges of molesting 10 young children. Kneifl could be arraigned in Washington County District Court Monday.