Davis man convicted of domestic violence; Wife's death, initially ruled suicide, still under investigation
DAVIS — A Yolo County jury convicted a Davis man in a domestic violence incident that happened over the summer, prosecutors said Thursday. His wife, whose death was preliminarily ruled a suicide, remains under investigation.
Henry "Harry" Stanley, 37, was arrested back on July 9 when his wife, Megan Duncanson, was able to contact authorities and report to them that she had been beaten by her husband, the Yolo County District Attorney's Office said.
Duncanson told authorities that Stanley told her he was going to kill her, prosecutors said.
On that 911 call, Duncanson first whispered to keep Stanley from overhearing that she was talking to law enforcement. Then, dispatchers were able to provide her with a text messaging option so she could communicate with them in silence. The district attorney's office said she asked dispatchers to say that a neighbor made the 911 call so Stanley wouldn't know it was her.
Davis police officers arrived to find Duncanson hiding behind a side gate. Duncanson was hospitalized for treatment and was found to have bruising on her arms, nose and lips, in addition to headaches and neck pain.
The district attorney's office said it was determined Stanley began hitting Duncanson on her arms on July 7. However, Duncanson told an officer the day they responded to her call that the physical abuse had begun a year prior. She reported being assaulted by Stanley on multiple occasions.
Following Stanley's arrest, he was served with an emergency protection order by Davis police. Stanley posted bail and was out of custody during his first court appearance on July 11, prosecutors said.
Duncanson was not at that hearing. That same day, Davis police officers found Duncanson dead in the couple's backyard after a friend called in a welfare check on her.
In August, Duncanson's death was preliminarily ruled "suicide by hanging," but her cause of death remains under investigation. The Yolo County coroner's office has not yet released its final findings.
The charges Stanley was convicted of were domestic violence and criminal threats.
"The jury also found true aggravating circumstances of the victim being particularly vulnerable, great violence, and that Mr. Stanley took advantage of a position of trust," the district attorney's office said.
Also in August, Stanley's public defender attempted to have the judge reduce the felony charges to misdemeanors and set bail so Stanley could be released on probation. The judge denied both.
Stanley is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2 in Yolo County Superior Court.
Stanley and Duncanson had been together for seven years, the district attorney's office said.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
(Editor's note: The victim's full name is Megan Marie Duncanson Stanley. In July, during previous coverage of this story, the Duncanson family asked that Megan be referenced as Megan Duncanson, her maiden name, out of respect. CBS13 will continue to refer to her as such.)