Man calls 911 and says he beat his wife to death

MASON COUNTY, Washington -- A man is charged with first-degree murder in Washington state after he allegedly beat his wife to death.

The most chilling piece of evidence against Stuart Sullivan, 56, is a 911 call he made claiming that he "beat the hell out of her a couple of days ago and I think she just died."

On the recording, the 911 operator asked Sullivan what he used to beat his wife. Sullivan replied, "Everything I suppose. She got beat up pretty bad."

"This circumstance to me is that it's an absolute tragedy. Depending on how the investigation plays out, we'll know more about the time span," Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury said to KOMO-TV.

The sheriff said it appears the woman may have died a slow death over a few days.

The prosecutor says the first-degree murder charge because of what he calls "extreme indifference to human life."

Sullivan is being held on $500,000 bail.