Kingsland man takes 40-year plea deal, lesser charge for killing wife

Dennis Wayne Price II, 44, of Kingsland was sentenced to 40 years in prison for manslaughter rather than murder for killing his wife after accepting a plea deal Sept. 6 during his jury trial in Llano County. 

Price was arrested in October 2022 and charged with first-degree murder after wife Carrie Ann Price died from injuries suffered during a domestic dispute. The couple was going through a divorce and arguing over the placement of their then-10-month old child, according to authorities.

Price strangled his wife to the point of unconsciousness, causing lasting damage that left her in a coma and led to her death. EMS workers and Llano County law enforcement attempted to resuscitate her on the scene at a Kingsland home. She was taken to a hospital in Williamson County, where she later died from injuries sustained during strangulation, according to the medical examiner. 

Price reportedly told law enforcement he was trying to “subdue” his wife during their dispute by squeezing her around the neck from behind, something he said he had done numerous times before.

According to a media release from the 33rd/424th District Attorney’s Office, the state was in the process of prosecuting Price for first-degree murder in a jury trial before the plea agreement on Sept. 6. The trial was temporarily suspended when Price was hospitalized in a bicycle accident while out on bond on Labor Day, Sept. 2. 

During the break in the trial, the state and Price’s defense negotiated the plea deal for the lesser charge of manslaughter and a 40-year prison sentence without the eligibility for parole until 2044, when Price would be 65 years old.

Manslaughter is defined as “the reckless actions of an individual causing the death of another.” It can be charged as a first-degree or second-degree felony, depending on the circumstances. In this case, Price was charged with a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

The difference between manslaughter and the original charge of first-degree murder is the unintentional versus intentional killing of another. For a murder charge to stick, the intention to kill must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I appreciate the jurors paying very close attention to the horrible facts of this case,” wrote District Attorney Wiley “Sonny” McAfee in a media release announcing the plea deal. “When speaking with the jurors after the trial was discontinued, as a result of the defendant’s guilty plea, I believe our agreement was in line with the beliefs of the jurors.”

dakota@thepicayune.com