Man pleads guilty in wife’s death

Erica D. Johnson

Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

A Las Vegas man who claims he shot his wife in a mercy killing told a District Court judge Monday that he is at peace with himself for what he did.

Kenneth Anthony Costanzo, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter in the March shooting death of his wife, Renee Shreves, 51, as the result of a plea agreement.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped an initial charge of open murder, said Chief Deputy District Attorney David Schwartz.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure sentenced Costanzo to a maximum of 10 years in prison, a sentence stipulated in his plea agreement. He will be eligible for parole after four years.

By pleading guilty, Costanzo avoided a possible life sentence with or without the possibility of parole, Schwartz said.

Costanzo was released from the Clark County Detention Center in November on a $50,000 bond in order to attend his wife's funeral.

Costanzo said he shot his wife twice in the head because she asked him to end her suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Costanzo's attorney, Steve Wolfson, said Shreves had no health insurance.

Costanzo told Bonaventure he knows he has to pay the price for his actions.

"Because of my love for her, the prospect of allowing her to remain in pain was worse than whatever would happen to me as a result," he said.

A coroner could not determine if Shreves had multiple sclerosis. But as the investigation continued, family members and friends of the victim corroborated Costanzo's story and said they supported his actions, Schwartz said.

A priest performed last rights on Shreves the day before her husband shot her.

But Bonaventure said Costanzo had no right to play God.

"In your heart you probably think you did the right thing," he said. "But I think you did wrong. We are not the ones to decide when to throw the cards in."