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Police: St. Pete man admits to helping son cover up wife's killing

Posted at 11:37 PM, Jul 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-07 08:22:46-04

Pennsylvania police have charged a St. Petersburg man with tampering and fabricating evidence in the death of his daughter-in-law.

Police accuse Ernest Leclair, 74, of hiding the pistol used to kill Karen Leclair, 54, of Elk Creek Township. 

Karen's husband, Christopher, reported the 54-year-old missing June 10, telling authorities that she went overboard and was never seen again. 

But three weeks later, a boater spotted Karen's body six miles off the coast of Lake Erie in New York. 

According to Pennsylvania State Police, Karen suffered a gun shot wound to the head and had her ankles bound by rope with an anchor tied to her chest. 

Police arrested Christopher Leclair this week for criminal homicide. 

Investigators say Ernest Leclair admitted that he tried to help his son cover up the crime by hiding the firearm used to shoot Karen Leclair. 

Ernest Leclair is in a Pennsylvania jail held on $25,000 bond. 

A records check shows no previous criminal history in Pinellas county. 

ABC Action News spoke to family living in the Tampa Bay area who did not want to comment on the case.