Estranged husband held on $1m bond

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A Kent County man allegedly tried to kill his estranged wife with a crowbar, a wrench and a dresser drawer before trying to kill himself Friday night, and now is behind bars on a $1 million bond.

Marshall Brabo was arraigned on the attempted murder charge Monday afternoon.

Officials said Brabo's estranged wife went to his home in the 8000 block of Courtland Drive NE in Rockford around 7:45 p.m. Friday for dinner when talk turned to divorce.

But, Undersheriff Jon Hess said,  he allegedly told his wife, "We are going to die tonight."

He then allegedly used the crowbar, wrench and dresser drawer in attacking her. She played dead, and Hess said, "Had she not played dead, this would have been a homicide."

But the woman told investigators she heard him straightening up and knew he was in an area where he stored medicine for what she called his bipolar condition. She felt eventually he would pass out in his suicide attempt.

However, the 30-40 sleeping pills he used in the attempted suicide were outdated, Hess said, and would likely not have killed him.

Once Brabo passed out, the woman slipped out of the house to a nearby McDonald's -- about three hours after the incident began. Employees called an ambulance and police.

Rockford police went to the house and arrested Brabo.

When the judge set bond at $1 million, Brabo told the judge, "I won't make bond."

The woman is recovering from serious injuries at a hospital.