Husband Found Guilty of Slaying Wife for Gain

A former Army paratrooper fatally shot his wife with a gun hidden under a pillow so he could collect about $170,000 in life insurance and marital assets, a Van Nuys Superior Court judge found Tuesday.

The ruling, which wrapped up a two-week trial, all but guarantees that Guy Bouck will get life in prison without parole for the 1987 slaying of Stephanie Bouck when he is sentenced Jan. 8.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeffrey Jonas acknowledged during closing arguments Tuesday that Bouck would have walked free had it not been for the dogged efforts of the victim’s family--particularly her brother, Encino real estate developer Jack Shine.

Bouck was arrested for his wife’s murder hours after her daughter found the body, but the district attorney’s office declined to file charges because of a lack of evidence--something prosecutors now say was a mistake.

Frustrated that no one was charged for his sister’s murder, Shine blocked Guy Bouck’s bid to inherit her estate by bankrolling a civil action that found he more than likely killed her.

New evidence was uncovered during the civil proceedings and led to Bouck’s prosecution.

Bouck pleaded guilty to the murder in November in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

During the trial on special allegations, prosecutors accused Bouck of killing for financial gain and lying in wait, torturing and sexual assaulting his wife. They prevailed in all but the last.