FROM STAFF REPORTS

A western Iredell County man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife.

Clarence Edward Tyson, 69, is being held without bond in the Iredell County Detention Center in connection with the death of his 68-year-old wife, Rebecca Tyson.

The suspect took his wife to the emergency room at Iredell Memorial Hospital about 2:30 a.m. on Monday, November 13, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said. Rebecca Tyson succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Iredell Memorial personnel contacted the Sheriff’s Office because the victim’s injuries were consistent with a physical assault. When deputies questioned Clarence Tyson, he told them there had been a domestic altercation at their home at 141 West Iredell Circle, the sheriff said.

ICSO homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the home to begin an investigation. Detectives interviewed the husband and other witnesses and collected evidence at the home.

The evidence indicates that Clarence Tyson assaulted his wife at the residence and later transported her to the hospital after finding her unresponsive, Campbell said. She was confined to a wheelchair at the time of the assault, he added.

“It was horrific what the victim went through,” the sheriff explained. “She was beaten severely.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was strangulation. She also had several broken bones and severe bruising, Campbell said.

Following the suspect’s arrest on the first-degree murder charge, he was taken before Magistrate Imes, who ordered he be held without bond.

According to the ICSO, Clarence Tyson’s criminal record includes the following charges: felony larceny, two counts of misdemeanor assault on a female, misdemeanor larceny and driving while impaired.