Maricopa County detective John Byrd facing second-degree murder charges on suspicion of killing his wife

John Byrd, a detective with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Arizona, has been arrested in Mesa on charges of murdering his wife.

The suspect’s wife (a name has not been officially released) was reported missing on July 31 by a friend after she failed to hear from her, and she didn’t turn up to a scheduled gym class.

The friend contacted the victim’s 11-year-old son, who informed them that he and his two siblings had not seen their mother and that Byrd had locked her in a bedroom.

The victim’s friend collected and took the children to their home and asked the Mesa police to perform a welfare check.

The cops found the victim lying on the floor of a bedroom; she had no visible signs of injury but was pronounced dead at the scene. The police could not contact Byrd, and he allegedly did not attempt to contact the authorities.

According to court documents, the police arrested Byrd a short time later while he was driving his wife’s car in Mesa, AZ. He allegedly told the officers he “knew what he had done was wrong.”

Detective John Byrd allegedly said a ‘switch just flipped’ after wife found strangled

Byrd reportedly told detectives that he was having trouble with his mental health and that he was particularly stressed at work and home. The suspect allegedly explained that he had been arguing with his wife when a “switch just flipped,” and he strangled her.

He reportedly said he didn’t want the children to see their dead mother, so he locked the bedroom door and, at some point, left the house in her car.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) announced that they would be ending Byrd’s employment and that any legal proceedings against him would be conducted by the neighboring Pinal County Attorney’s Office.

Maricopa County detective John Byrd worked a dept dealing with ‘family violence’

In February 2023, the MCAO honored Detective Byrd as part of their Black History Month celebrations. At that time, Byrd had spent seven years in total working as a detective and was currently based at the MCAO’s Investigations Division in the Family Violence and Trial West Bureau. He had previously spent five years as a detective with the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections.

On this occasion, Bryd explained, “The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office sounded like the perfect job for my skill set. Due to my familial upbringing, I was raised to possess an authentic love for people.”

Byrd is now looking at charges of second-degree murder. He could face anything from ten to 25 years of prison time if convicted. His first court appearance is scheduled for August 7, and a bond has been set at $750,000.