Suspect in Marine wife killing could face 2nd murder charge

SANTA ANA, Calif. - The former Marine charged with killing his alleged lover, Erin Corwin, could face an additional murder charge if an autopsy determines that Corwin was pregnant, San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos reportedly told The Desert Sun newspaper on Wednesday.

Christopher Lee, 24, was arrested Sunday in Anchorage, Alaska, a day after the 19-year-old Corwin's body was found in an abandoned mine shaft in Southern California. Prosecutors in California charged Lee with murder with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which enables them to potentially seek the death penalty.

Earlier court filings indicate Corwin was in the early stages of pregnancy when she disappeared from her home in Twentynine Palms, Calif. on June 28. Her husband, Marine Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing the next day.

Erin Corwin's friend told investigators that Corwin and Lee, her next door neighbor in Twentynine Palms, were having an affair and that the unborn child might be Lee's, according to the earlier filings. Corwin told the friend that Lee was worried his wife might divorce him and prevent him from spending time with his child if she knew Corwin was pregnant, the papers say.

District Attorney Ramos reportedly told The Desert Sun that authorities are still trying to determine whether Corwin was pregnant and if so, how far along she was. He said an additional murder charge "is a possibility," reports the paper.

A murder charge can be filed for an unborn child of just four to six weeks development, according to the paper.

Lee appeared in court in Anchorage on Tuesday, where he was ordered held on $2 million cash bail. His wife, Nichole, and his mother attended the hearing, but declined comment. The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, who is leading the investigation, said Nichole Lee is considered a "person of interest" in the case, according to the paper.

Shortly after Corwin went missing, Lee was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps after serving seven years. He subsequently moved his family to Alaska.