MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Wisconsin man who killed his wife and two other women at a Milwaukee-area spa, had terrorized his wife for years.
According to court documents, 45-year-old Radcliffe Haughton had threatened to throw acid on her face, had doused her car with tomato juice and slashed her vehicle's tires.
Haughton was charged with disorderly conduct last year after police responding to a 911 call saw Haughton point what appeared to be a gun at his wife, Zina, from a window at their home. A 90-minute standoff ensued.
Police say the standoff ended peacefully, and they were never able to confirm a gun was involved because Zina Haughton wouldn't allow them into the couple's home. The charge against Radcliffe Haughton was dropped when a police officer failed to appear in court. Police say the officer asked the prosecutor to reschedule but the prosecutor refused.
Zina Haughton wrote in a restraining order filed Oct. 8 that her husband threatened to kill her if she ever left him. She wrote -- quote -- "His threats terrorize my every waking moment."
Radcliffe Haughton bought the gun used in the shooting spree two days after a court ordered him to turn in all firearms.
%@AP Links
APPHOTO NY201: This photo provided by the Brookfield Police Dept. shows Radcliffe Franklin Haughton, 45, of Brown Deer, Wis. Deputies are searching for Haughton on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012, who's suspected of wounding multiple people in a shooting at a spa near a suburban Milwaukee shopping mall. (AP Photo/Brookfield Police Dept) (21 Oct 2012)
<<APPHOTO NY201 (10/21/12)>>
241-v-31-(Rita Foley, AP correspondent)--We're learning more about the man who killed three women, then himself, at a Milwaukee-area spa over the weekend. AP correspondent Rita Foley reports. (22 Oct 2012)
<<CUT *241 (10/22/12)>> 00:31
068-a-17-(Chief Dan Tushaus (TUHS'-hows), Brookfield Police Department, at news conference)-"his wife's vehicle"-Brookfield Police Chief Dan Tushaus says the suspect's wife obtained a restraining order after an incident earlier this month at the spa. (22 Oct 2012)
<<CUT *068 (10/22/12)>> 00:17 "his wife's vehicle"
