PORTLAND, Maine(NEWS CENTER) -- We're learning more about why State Police charged a Windham man with the murder of his wife on Friday.
State Police say Noah Gaston told them he shot his wife by accident, but that his story changed several times. And the couple's children said they heard their parents arguing just before Alicia Gaston was killed.
Investigators say Gaston called 911 a little after 6:15 a.m. on January 14. He told the dispatcher he thought his wife was an intruder and he accidentally shot her in the stomach. According to those court documents, Gaston told police a similar story when they arrived. He said he had heard noises downstairs, checked to make sure his kids were in bed, and then went down to see what was going on. He said his wife was halfway up the stairs when he shot her, not realizing who she was until it was too late.
But each time Gaston told police his story, they say, he changed details. The second time he told the story, for instance, he said his wife was at the bottom of the stairs. Another time, according to the documents, he said he thought it was the middle of the night when he got up. But he also said he checked on his daughters to be sure they were in bed because they sometimes get up in the morning and make breakfast.
Police say the Gastons' daughters, ages 8 and 9, told them they heard their parents arguing just before the gun went off, and they heard their mom fall down the stairs. Noah Gaston told police he had not been arguing with his wife.
Gaston being held at the Cumberland County Jail, and is due in court Tuesday.
The couple also has a 2-year-old, and all three children are being cared for by relatives.
