Husband charged in south Minneapolis slaying after wife threatens divorce

Authorities on Tuesday charged a south Minneapolis man they believe strangled his wife in a jealous rage.

Tony Le, 55, was charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 25 slaying of his 48-year-old wife, whom co-workers identified as Michelle Le, according to a criminal complaint. Le remained jailed in lieu of $1.5 million bail on Tuesday with an initial court appearance set for Wednesday afternoon.

Tony Le told investigators that he and his wife had been arguing more recently after she announced that she wanted a divorce after 20 years of marriage, police said. One argument erupted after Tony Le felt that his wife had embarrassed him in front of others, he told police.

The tension grew after Tony Le returned home from a recent three-week trip to Vietnam to discover that his wife had filed for divorce, the complaint said.

He told detectives after his arrest that they had gotten into another fight after his wife came home around 3 or 4 a.m. Tony Le admitted to following her into the bathroom and strangling her from behind with a telephone cord, even as she tried to fight him off. He then called 911.

When police arrived at 8:43 a.m., he reportedly told them, "my wife is dead," and led them to a downstairs bathroom. Officers found her body curled up in a shower. Her husband was arrested at the scene.

According to court filings, Tony Le initially told 911 dispatchers that he didn't know why his wife was dead.

Business associates said that Michelle Le opened Penn Nails and Spa in Richfield in 2013. Her son told investigators that the couple had previously argued about business-related finances, filings show.

Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.

Libor Jany • 612-673-4064 Twitter: @StribJany