In 2019, a man from Palm Beach County confessed to killing his wife with a knife and hammer, claiming he was influenced by “voices.”
Wilfred Buteau, 58, accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 28 years in prison for second-degree murder.
Initially facing a first-degree murder charge, he could have been sentenced to life in prison for the December 19, 2019, death of Aliette Buteau, 49.
At the time of the incident, Buteau worked as a school bus driver for the Palm Beach County School District. The couple had an 8-year-old son.
Prosecutors stated that Buteau used the claw end of a hammer to fatally strike his wife during an argument at their residence on Torch Key St. in the Lake Charleston community, located west of Lake Worth Beach.
Buteau called 911 around 3:30 a.m. to report the incident, expressing his belief that he had killed his wife, according to the arrest report.
Buteau told a dispatcher that, “She jump on me, I think so, and she have a knife”.
Buteau stated that his wife had been abusing him for the past 14 years, according to the arrest report.
Deputies discovered Aliette Buteau on the living room floor, with injuries to her face and head. A claw hammer was found impaled into her right eye socket, and there was a large cut across her throat, with blood covering the living room.
Deputies believed Aliette Buteau was still alive and applied pressure to her neck wound. However, when Palm Beach County Fire Rescue arrived, she was declared deceased at the scene.
During the investigation, Buteau’s adult son, Beethovo Buteau, arrived at the home.
“There were no signs of any injuries on Wilfrid Buteau that would be consistent with him being jumped on, or attacked with a knife,” the arrest report stated.
