'Stupid Argument' Over Coffee Pot Led Husband To Kill Wife: Judge

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A "stupid argument" over a coffee pot being left on all day led to the murder of Karen Lotz of Barrington in January 2016, prosecutors said during the trial of Lotz's husband, Larry Lotz. On Wednesday, Lake County Judge Daniel Shanes found Lotz, 69, of Barrington, guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the Jan. 14, 2016, shooting.

Lake County prosecutors said Lotz shot his wife to death after the two got into a fight over Karen Lotz nagging her husband for leaving the coffee maker on. In a recorded interrogation, Lotz told Barrington police officers that he tried to hide from his wife in his office above the garage, but she followed him there and unlocked the door. Prosecutors said Larry Lotz opened fire with a .45 caliber revolver, shooting four times and striking his wife three times in the head and torso.

According to authorities, Larry Lotz then called one of his sons, who told his father to dial 911. Lotz reportedly called 911, telling the dispatcher, "I just shot my wife. I just shot my wife. Please, send an ambulance."

Prosecutors said Larry Lotz had been drinking prior to the fatal shooting, according to the Daily Herald.

Defense attorneys said Larry was in a dissociative state when he shot at Karen and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving in Vietnam, according to the Daily Herald. In 2016, an attorney for Lotz requested a defense expert sit in on psychological tests to determine whether Lotz suffered from PTSD.

"This case started over what most married couples would call a stupid argument," Judge Daniel Shanes said during the Wednesday hearing, according to the Daily Herald. "The argument should have stopped, but tragically it did not."

A sentencing hearing has been set for Oct. 4 and Larry could face up to 20 years in prison. Probation is also an option.

Karen Lotz raised twin sons with her husband. She worked as an admissions supervisor at Harper College in Palatine, according to the college, and was working on a master's degree at Robert Morris College.

She had worked at Harper College for almost 20 years. "She was just as passionate about helping others advance and develop as she was interested in furthering her own education," the college said in a statement released after her death.