An Alabama man allegedly used a bottle of absinthe to bludgeon his wife to death during their boozy final night together, according to a report Friday.
Kathleen Dawn “Kat” West, 42 — a stay-at-home mom who lived a double life on a subscription-only adult website under the name “Kitty Kat West” — died of blunt-force trauma after being whacked in the head with a bottle of Lucid brand absinthe on Jan. 12, AL.com reported, citing an arrest warrant.
Her hubby, William “Jeff” West, 44, was arrested on murder charges Thursday.
A friend of Jeff’s, Mike Waters, said the death was an alcohol-fueled accident in a since-deleted Facebook post, according to the Daily Mail.
“I was able to talk to my friend Jeff last night in length. In the upcoming days true facts will be coming out,” Waters wrote on Jan. 20. “And everybody will find out that this was a terrible accident, that involved excessive alcohol consumption …. Absinthe!”
Kathleen’s body was discovered at 5 a.m. the day after her murder, naked except for a sports bra. A cellphone with a green bottle balanced on top of it were discovered nearby, which witnesses said appeared staged, AL.com reported.
The night of Kathleen’s death, the couple from Calera was celebrating a “date night” and bought bottles of Lucid and Jameson Irish Whiskey from R&R Wine and Liquor store.
Kathleen is seen on surveillance footage laughing and, at one point, Jeff gives her a playful pat on the behind.
A friend told the Mail that Jeff was well aware of his wife’s online persona and “got off” on the idea that she was wanted by other men.
“She was a sweet lady who was fun, playful and loved to tease either sex,” the chum said. “I know Jeff was well aware of whatever it was she or they were doing.”
Jeff is being held on $500,000 bail.
Absinthe, a green, anise-flavored liquor said to cause hallucinations, has long been touted by artists, writers and poets for its ability to stoke creativity. Incidents of absinthe-related alcohol abuse led to it being banned in the US in 1912. It only became legal again to buy in 2007 without thujone, a chemical substance extracted from the wormwood plant, believed to give the so-called Green Fairy its mind-altering effects.