The following is a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

PHOENIX -- County Attorney Andrew Thomas today announced the filing of notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Jeffrey Hamlet, 55, who stands accused of killing his wife at their Phoenix home on February 12, 2008. Hamlet was charged with First Degree Murder, a class one dangerous felony and domestic violence offense, in a February 21, 2008 indictment.

“The filing today affords the jury the death penalty option should a jury find Hamlet guilty,” said Thomas. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office allows for the advice of a review panel in examining the appropriateness of the death penalty in capital cases. The panel will seek to confirm if certain aggravating factors related to the homicides meet the guidelines established by the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to a Phoenix Police Department probable cause statement, officers responded to a 911 call placed by the victim’s son and found the victim deceased inside of a bedroom wrapped in a tarp. They also witnessed the defendant as he tried to stab himself with a kitchen knife, but prevented him from doing so by deploying Tasers.

Deputy County Attorney Burt Jorgensen is prosecuting the case.