Ex-Firefighter Chief Gets 25 Years for Strangling Wife So He Can Be with Mistress

A former fire department battalion chief will spend 25 years in jail after being found guilty in the 2024 killing his wife.

Kevin West, 52, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on 27 February, one month after a jury found him guilty of first and second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Marcy, 48. She died from asphyxia with blunt trauma to the neck, according to the medical examiner's report.

West called 911 on 8 January 2024, informing dispatch that his wife was having a seizure. West himself served with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department and had been trained on emergency response procedures.

West told 911 that Marcy was not breathing, and that he had started performing CPR. First responders pronounced Marcy dead at the scene after performing life-saving measures.

Foul Play Rumours Mount After Victim's Death

Clark County Sheriff's Office received 'concerns about Kevin and Marcy's potential relationship issues' in the aftermath. These concerns also hint that Marcy's death 'may not have been natural,' according to People.

West's role in Marcy's death was questioned during the trial. Prosecutors asserted that West had been planning to leave his wife. He also allegedly had an affair at the time of the killing.

Dismissing the possibility of foul play, the defence argued that Marcy's recurring headaches caused the seizure. In a letter he read at court on 27 February, West admitted the affair, but denied the mounting speculations over Marcy's death.

Defendant Addresses Fallout and Suspicions

'I made every effort to save her life,' he said, per The Columbian. 'I owe you all an apology for my affair, my only wrongdoing. A mockery has been made of my wife's passing through all of the social media craze and national attention.'

Cynthia Ward, West's now-fiancée, confirmed the affair had been going on since 2023. They also had a brief sexual relationship in 2004. 'Eventually, he was going to leave Marcy, at some point,' Ward stated in court. 'I don't know when that would have been.'

Children Divided over Defendant's Sentence

Two of West's children responded strongly to his sentencing. Megan West said his father destroyed the family with his actions. 'You had the nerve to look me in the eyes and ask if I was relieved she was dead,' she said, per The Oregonian.

'You were too busy with your mistress to give us the attention we needed,' she also stated per The Columbian. 'What you did was beyond neglect. It was exploitation. You didn't just destroy your family, you made us collateral in your wreckage. You didn't just disrespect her memory, you bulldozed over it."

West's son Ted took his father's side, pleading leniency from the judge. Appealing to West's 'character and positive impact' as a firefighter, Ted asserted that his father had been 'empathetic and loving' to them.

Judge Robert Lewis said that he did not find West's explanations believable. According to Lewis, West also had ample medical knowledge as a paramedic to stage a medical event, which allayed suspicions from first responders.