KINGMAN, Kan. — A former lawman was found guilty Tuesday of killing his wife and setting their home on fire while their two sons slept down the hall.
Brett T. Seacat, 37, of Kingman was convicted of all four counts he faced: first-degree murder, aggravated arson and two counts of aggravated endangering a child in the April 30, 2011, death of his wife, Vashti Seacat, 16 days after she filed for divorce.
The 34-year-old's charred body was found next to a melted gas container on the remains of her bed, along with a .44-caliber pistol that was under her body. She had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the neck, and her body was damaged so badly in the fire that a coroner was unable to rule her death a homicide.
Prosecutors built their murder case against Brett Seacat on circumstantial evidence that was systematically called into question by defense attorneys throughout the trial. They allege he shot his wife, then set their south-central Kansas home on fire to cover her murder up.
Seacat is a former Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy who was an instructor with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center at the time his wife's body was found. His attorneys claimed Vashti Seacat set the fire and then fatally shot herself.
Among key pieces of evidence presented at his trial was a suicide note found in Vashti Seacat's in which she purportedly pleads with her husband to "take care of our boys" and promises the two young sons that she will be "watching over you from heaven."
A handwriting expert for prosecutors testified the note was traced, while the defense's expert concluded it matched the writing in the woman's journal.
