Former pro football player Anthony McClanahan was charged with murder Monday after a bizarre scene that unfolded outside his condominium earlier this month.
Prosecutors contend McClanahan,46, killed his wife, Keri "KC" McClanahan, inside their rented home in Park City, Utah, then was found on the ground outside after waving down a passing police officer, according to the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Police officials said that early on the morning of Nov. 2, they found McClanahan outside crawling on his stomach, covered in blood. The officer on the scene told prosecutors that McClanahan picked himself up just enough to signal the officer before falling back to the ground, where he started convulsing. The officer said McClanahan made a "snow angel motion."
The scene where KC McClanahan, 28, was found dead showed that she "put up a desperate struggle" before her death, the Associated Press reported. Authorities said they found multiple cuts all around her neck, as well as other injuries, such as carpet burns, which they described as defensive wounds. Another resident in the condo building reportedly called police after witnessing McClanahan asking for help while crawling around in the building's hallways.
The murder weapon was a small, sharp knife, according to court documents.
McClanahan claimed someone had attacked him, his wife and his child, but authorities said they found no evidence that anyone else had been in the condo the night of his wife’s death, nor did they find a baby.
Anthony, who played in the Canadian Football League and spent one training camp with the Dallas Cowboys in 1994, was also charged with child kidnapping last month. Police said he picked up his 8-year-old son from his school in Arizona on Oct. 3 and traveled with him through Nevada and Utah without the knowledge of the child's mother — who was not KC McClanahan.
He reportedly returned his son after he was arrested on Oct. 12, and was later released from jail after posting bond.
Heather Gauf, KC McClanahan's sister, told reporters her sister was planning to leave McClanahan, but after his October arrest she wanted to make sure he was stable before divorcing him. Gauf said she became concerned about her sister when McClanahan wanted her to marry him last year soon after meeting in KC's hometown of Bellingham, Wash., where Anthony was working as a personal trainer at the time.
Credit: Heather Gauf
Credit: Heather Gauf
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After getting married, they moved to Arizona and began working as volunteers in hurricane-affected areas.
Gauf said McClanahan once punched her sister in a fit of jealousy, adding that he would sometimes talk about the effects of the head injuries he suffered during his football career, but Gauf also said she doesn't believe his alleged violent tendencies were brought about by head trauma.
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