MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) - A defense lawyer says a Connecticut man charged with helping his terminally ill wife kill herself was a loving husband whose spouse was "suffering terribly" from cancer.

Kevin Conners, of Westbrook, was arraigned on a manslaughter charge Friday in Middletown Superior Court. He was arrested Thursday and posted $50,000 bail.

State police say the 65-year-old retired prison guard initially told investigators his wife, 61-year-old Lori Conners, shot herself in the head last September but later admitted he helped hold the gun while she pulled the trigger.

Conners' attorney, Raymond Rigat, said Friday that his client is holding himself accountable and that he was a "kind, compassionate, loving" husband whose wife was "suffering terribly."

Conners and his children told police that Lori Conners told them she wanted to die.

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