Brisbane police believe man acted alone in wife's murder

BRISBANE, Calif. (KGO) -- New details have emerged in the bizarre murder of a Brisbane woman, Shelly Titchener, whose torso was first found along the Fremont shoreline. Police now say her husband, Paul Titchnener, killed his wife and then committed suicide after her body was discovered.

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On Monday, Feb. 15, the Brisbane Police Department received a report of a missing person. Paul reported that his wife, Shelly, had left the house on Saturday, Feb. 13, to spend some time with an unidentified friend and failed to return as expected.

The Brisbane Police Department now believes that Titchener killed his wife based on the telephone conversation recording between the two of them in which Paul indicates that he would go to the house to bring her a cellphone cable.

This voice recording of Shelly is the last evidence of her being alive, according to police.

Police also don't believe that the murder was premeditated.

They say Paul intended on committing suicide shortly after the killing, "either out of remorse or the belief that he would be identified as the killer," they wrote in a press release.

WATCH VIDEO: Torso found in Fremont could be linked to missing Brisbane woman

They go to state that, "This opinion is based on Paul drafting a will in the early morning hours of the 13th, the money transferred to the son's accounts and the "Untitled" document created at 11:20 a.m. on the 14th."

Police indict that Paul changed his mind about committing suicide after coming up with a plan to dispose of the body and report her missing. This is based on Paul reversing the deposits that were made to the son's accounts, police say, on the Feb. 13 and the document created on the Feb. 14 where he omits any reference to both their deaths.

Police report that Paul disposed of Shelly's body between Sunday morning and when he reported her missing, based on time frames where his whereabouts are unknown. They say once Paul became aware that Shelly's body had been discovered, he followed through with his intention to commit suicide.

On Sunday, Feb. 21, the Fremont Police Department responded to a call of human remains found by people fishing near the Dumbarton Pier. At that time there was no information leading either agency to believe that the remains were that of Shelly Titchener.

On Feb. 23, during a subsequent search of the marshland area, Fremont detectives found a purse and the identification belonging to Mrs. Titchener. That evening, police say, a reporter contacted Paul about the remains found by Fremont police trying to establish a connection between the remains and his missing wife.

That same night CHP reported that Mr. Titchener had committed suicide by jumping from the San Francisco Bay Bridge.

On Feb. 28 hikers located additional remains along the shoreline near the Dumbarton Bridge with which the Alameda County Coroner's Office was able to positively identify the remains found on Feb. 21 near the Dumbarton Pier as belonging to Shelly Titchener.

The identification was made by a right thumbprint match to DMV records. Shelly's head and left leg were never recovered.

WATCH VIDEO: Husband named suspect after in murder of Brisbane woman after remains found

Police say they believe the motive is a culmination of stress surrounding financial issues and Shelly's alcohol abuse. The Titchener's had been married 24 years, though they had lived apart on and off for most of that time.

Police say Mrs. Titchener had an ongoing issue with alcohol abuse, adding that her issues with alcohol also caused financial problems. They went on to say that when intoxicated, she had been known to be verbally abusive to both Paul and their children. The police had been called to the home on several occasions as a result of these disturbances.

In 2001, Paul filed for divorce and custody of their children, however, the divorce was never finalized according to the police. They also say Paul decided to move back into the garage of their home in order to save money that could be used for their son's education.