Ex-wife of police officer charged in his slaying

Prosecutors charged a Central Valley woman Tuesday with killing her ex-husband, a police officer who was found dead in his home with several gunshot wounds.

In a Tulare County courtroom, Erika Sandoval, 28, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder with the additional allegation that she killed her ex-husband, Daniel Green, while lying in wait, said Tulare County Asst. Dist. Atty. Anthony Fultz.

Green, 31, was found dead Friday in his home in Goshen. After he failed to show up for work at the Exeter Police Department, colleagues went to his house to check on him.

“It hurts deeply,” Exeter Police Chief Cliff Bush said about the slaying. “We’re all grieving.”

The couple divorced more than two years ago but they shared custody of a 2-year-old child.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but prosecutors say Sandoval had entered Green’s home before he returned, and she waited for an opportune moment to kill him.

A weapon has been recovered, but prosecutors and investigators declined to release details. No motive has been identified.

Sandoval is being held without bail and she’s scheduled to appear in court on March 16 .

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