Trooper: Stewart admits writing letter

CENTREVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - It was indeed Doug Stewart who wrote a letter, claiming his innocence in the murder of his wife, according to a Michigan State Police trooper.

Stewart made the admission on Wednesday in prison while talking to Det. Todd Petersen, the prosecutor said in a news release.

Stewart was convicted in March and sentenced in April to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his wife, Venus. She was staying with her parents in Colon Township and vanished in the early morning hours of April 26, 2010. She has not been seen since.

Copies of the handwritten letter (pdf) were recently mailed to St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough and several local media. McDonough questioned who wrote the letter, saying the signature did not look like Stewart's, and said there are inconsistencies with the letter. This led to a Michigan State Police investigation and Det. Petersen's conversation with Stewart.

Also in the letter, Stewart asks that his accomplice, Ricky Spencer, be given a harsher sentence than his agreed-to plea deal of one year.

Stewart and Spencer met online playing Xbox. Spencer was a college student in Delaware, and Spencer lived in Virginia with Venus and their children. Spencer testified he pretended to be Doug Stewart in Virginia while Stewart went to Michigan to kill Venus.

"The receipt of this letter does not change the facts of the case and the evidence that overwhelmingly convicted Mr. Stewart. I remain confident that Douglas Stewart traveled from Virginia to MI and murdered his wife and that Ricky Spencer was his accomplice in Newport News, VA. I fully expect the sentencing of Ricky Spencer, scheduled for Friday, July 22, to continue without delay," McDonough said.

Spencer still may face charges in Delaware and Virginia.