Man says he killed his ex-wife by accident
Fatal shot was result of ‘fooling around’
NIAGARA FALLS — Police said the motive was unclear, but the remorse was genuine as a city man admitted killing his ex-wife by putting a .44 Magnum revolver to her head Sunday night and pulling the trigger.
John A. Polley, 66, called police and told them Julia A. Polley of 68th Street, was dead in a basement bedroom at his 337 78th St. home and that he had shot her just before 10 p. m.
He told city police investigators that the two had been drinking all day and said his ex-wife agreed to come to his place to have sex, then got “frisky” with a gun, which went off.
“We were fooling around,” Polley told Detective Frank Coney. “I pointed the gun at her with my finger on the trigger.
“I shot the woman I love.” The couple both have past arrests for driving while intoxicated, Detective Capt. Ernest C. Palmer said Monday, but have no history of domestic violence.
“He was very upset that he took her life,” Palmer said.
John Polley was arraigned in City Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to felony charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminal use of a firearm. He also was charged with resisting arrest, and accused of refusing to put his hands behind his back and swearing at officers when they arrived. He was taken to the Niagara County Jail on bail of $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond. A return court date was set for Jan. 20.
Polley told police the couple had been together for about 20 years, although they did divorce six and a half years ago.
“[Julia] and John had an on-and- off-again relationship,” said her brother Chuck McGill, one of 10 of her siblings. “They both loved each other, but they were like oil and water when they were together for any length of time — and unfortunately this time they were together.”
McGill also doubted his sister would “fool around” with a gun.
“That does not sound like my sister . . .,” he said. “She could care less about guns.”
Julia Polley — her family called her Julie — was vice president of the family business, Art McGill Electrical, and ran day-to- day operations in the office for the past 35 years, her brother said.
Her ex-husband is a retired electrician and former Marine.
The shooting took place on a quiet dead end street near the end of a row of small, neat houses. The pretty gray house has a big “Support our Troops” sign that takes up the whole the front door.
John Polley told investigators he and his ex-wife had gone drinking at about 1 p. m. Sunday, first heading to the American Legion post on Niagara Avenue, where they drank Bloody Marys, and then to a city VFW post, where they watched the Pittsburgh-San Diego football playoff game and drank beer.
Then they went back to his house to fool around, he said.
“She wanted me to show [her the gun],” he told police. “It enhances [sex]. It helps her and it helps me.”
McGill said he had known John even longer than Julia had, for more than 30 years. He described him as “abrasive.”
Greg Etopio, 31, a neighbor who lives across the street, said police rarely visit the neighborhood but have been called occasionally because of Polley.
“Once someone was taking potshots at his house with a BB gun and he showed up drunk and I had to escort him back to his house,” Etopio said. “The second time his car was in the middle of the road and he knocked on my door and told me to get my car out of the road, so I ended up calling the police. The third time was about 10 days ago and he couldn’t get his car [into his driveway because of the snow], so he pulled into my driveway and hit my car. Everything else is so quiet around here.”
Both Polleys have adult children through previous relationships. John Polley has an adult son, John M., 40, who lives in Niagara Falls. Julia has three children, a daughter, Karissa Carpenter, 28, of Lewiston; and two sons, Joshua Reid, 26 and Aaron Reid, 23, both of Niagara Falls, and three grandchildren.
