Quadriplegic Uses Mouth to Fire Gun, Kills Wife of 2 Weeks

HOUSTON — A quadriplegic fatally shot his wife of two weeks by using his mouth to pull a string connected to the trigger of a gun hidden on his wheelchair, police said Tuesday.

Bertha Mae Burns, 37, was shot three times Monday night in the Hobo Lounge, according to police, who said the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute.

James B. Burns, 40, whose spine was severed in 1979 when he was shot by a former wife, was released to the custody of his mother pending the filing of charges, officials said. Police said he was released because there was no jail cell outfitted to meet the needs of a quadriplegic.

Homicide investigators said Burns could not have mounted the complex mechanism on his wheelchair without help, and they were looking for the person who aided him.