Police found Anthony McClanahan, 45, lying barefoot on the ground, stained with blood, and convulsing at about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. The former Dallas Cowboys pick said his wife and baby had been attacked by two or three men in their rented condominium in Park City, Utah.
Police found the door to McClanahan’s apartment open, and blood on the floor and the door, court documents say. The body of his wife, Keri Colleen “KC” McClanahan, 28, was inside, with multiple knife wounds to her throat. A bracelet that unlocks to reveal a knife lay by her body—the small blade was consistent with her wounds.
Authorities looked into Anthony’s claims, but there was no sign any attackers entered the building, security camera footage revealed. What’s more, there was no sign the McClanahans had a baby in the apartment at the time.
As Anthony’s story unraveled, police arrested him on suspicion of murdering his wife.
Keri’s sister, Heather Gauf, told the Tribune Anthony was physically abusive towards his wife. She fled from him at least twice since their marriage in January, Gauf said.
The couple got married only months after they met in Bellingham, Washington, where Anthony worked as a personal trainer, she said. After the wedding, they spent some time helping in hurricane-stricken areas in Texas and Puerto Rico.
But in recent months, Anthony started to get jealous, and in September, he punched Keri, Gauf said.
“He definitely dimmed her light so much and it was really hard to watch,” Gauf said.
In October, Anthony was charged with kidnapping his 8-year-old son from a previous relationship from the boy’s school in Arizona and taking him to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He was arrested, but bonded out of jail.
Keri was planning to leave him, Gauf said, but decided to first help him get back on his feet after his arrest.
“My family is still very much in shock and grieving over all of this,” Gauf said Monday.
