Former football player sentenced for killing of wife in Utah
Apr 30, 2019, 1:14 PM
Photo: Salt Lake County Jail
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A former professional football player has been sentenced for the stabbing death of his wife.
Anthony McClanahan, 48, was sentenced to at least 15 years and up to life in prison for the November 2017 death of 28-year-old Keri McClanahan, The Deseret News reported Monday.
McClanahan pleaded guilty last month to first-degree murder, two weeks after his former cellmate testified McClanahan confessed to stabbing his wife 16 to 20 times.
McClanahan had blood on his face and hands when he flagged down Park City police outside the Park Regency hotel in the resort community about 33 miles (53 kilometers) east of Salt Lake City.
McClanahan told police the couple was attacked by white men wearing black jackets, but surveillance footage showed no one matching that description.
One officer testified that McClanahan appeared to fake a seizure while talking to police.
McClanahan said he would use a history of concussions to give the appearance of “memory problems,” his cellmate testified.
McClanahan is a former Washington State University football player who played professionally in Canada in the 1990s and practiced with the Dallas Cowboys.
Keri McClanahan’s family members testified that McClanahan physically and verbally abused her during their relationship.
Her sister, Christine Schmitt, said she would not have the opportunity to enjoy the milestones in the lives of her two young children.
“No graduations, no proms, no weddings. Something will always be missing for them. And part of them is gone,” Schmitt said.
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
