William Argie is going to spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted this week in New Hampshire for murdering his wife and faking her suicide. The 49-year-old state resident was found guilty of first-degree murder and falsification of criminal evidence in connection with the 2019 crime in Londonderry.
Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Marguerite Wageling issued the sentence on Tuesday. Relatives of the victim, Maureen Argie, pleaded with the judge before sentencing.
Wageling later scolded Argie before his sentencing.
Your selfish, narcissistic, and possibly addicted-fueled behavior led to the devastation of your family,” Wageling told Argie, Law & Crime, a legal publication, reported.
Apprehended at Foxwoods
William Argie was located at a Connecticut’s Foxwoods Casino on April 5 following the murder, according to WMUR, a local TV station. He unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide, news reports revealed.
Two months later, he was indicted by a grand jury and later arrested. He entered a not guilty plea in the strangling and/or smothering case against him. He claimed his wife committed suicide.
But jurors eventually found him guilty of the charges. The murder took place while the couple’s children, a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old, were asleep in the house.
Beyond the life sentence, he was also given one and a half to three years in prison for the falsifying evidence charge, WMUR said. The trial was repeatedly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Faced Debt, Bankruptcy
Prosecutors claim Argie was in debt and close to bankruptcy due to his gambling addiction, according to published reports. His family had tried to conduct an intervention with him with the hope of him addressing his behavior, news media reported.
Maureen Argie was attempting to divorce him at the time of the homicide. She was also seeking custody of the children and felt threatened by her husband.
William Argie’s fellow gambler, James Timbas, claimed that Argie tried to hire him to kill Maureen Argie. It was to appear like a suicide, he said. In return, Timbas would receive part of her $400,000 life insurance policy under the alleged scheme. Timbas refused to take part in the plot.
At one point in the trial, William Argie asked the judge to declare the case a mistrial. But he chose not to fire his defense attorneys. The judge refused his request.
Argie will not be eligible for parole under the sentence. At one time, he worked as a physician’s assistant.
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