‘The Shield’ actor Michael Jace pleads not guilty to killing wife

Actor Michael Jace -- known for long portraying a Los Angeles police detective on “The Shield” -- pleaded not guilty Wednesday to shooting his wife to death in May.

Jace was arrested and booked on suspicion of killing his wife, April Jace, inside their Hyde Park home on May 19. She had been shot multiple times. Authorities said Jace killed her, then called police to report the death.

The couple’s children, both younger than 10, were inside the home when their mother was killed. Neither was harmed.

A protective order was issued for his two children during the arraignment Wednesday, preventing Jace from contacting them except through his attorneys. Charged with one count of murder, he remained in custody in lieu of $2-million bail.

On the night of the shooting, neighbors reported seeing Michael Jace pull into the driveway, walk in and leave the front door ajar. A few minutes later, a neighbor heard popping sounds and took cover.

Police arrived to find an unarmed Michael Jace standing in the doorway, his wife’s body visible in a hallway.

They handcuffed the actor. Paramedics arrived soon after and pronounced his wife dead.

April Jace, 40, was a well-liked financial aid counselor at Biola University, an evangelical Christian college in La Mirada.

Michael Jace had no arrest record, according to public records, but divorce papers from a previous marriage make allegations of threats and domestic violence.

The actor had been under financial strain for years, court records show.

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