Court documents filed last week indicate that David Williamson — charged with the murder of his wife last summer — plans to accept a plea deal offered by the Park County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

In a March 5 filing, Williamson’s court-appointed attorney, Tim Blatt, wrote that “this matter now appears ready for a change of plea and sentencing hearing at the court’s earliest convenience.”

District Court Judge Bill Simpson set the hearing for 10 a.m. on May 22.

Terms of the deal were not outlined in court records and it’s common for those details to only become public at the time of sentencing. Blatt and Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Leda Pojman declined to comment.

Williamson, 65, is alleged to have shot and killed his wife, 65-year-old Shirley Williamson, at their home south of Powell last August.

Williamson reportedly told investigators with the Park County Sheriff’s Office that his wife had been suffering from mental issues, including paranoia. Early on the morning of Aug. 26, Williamson said his wife pointed an unloaded gun at him and yelled for him to kill her, charging documents say.

Williamson reportedly shot her and called 911.

A responding deputy found Williamson sitting on the porch and asked what was going on; Williamson reportedly replied, “Go inside; you will see.”

After being taken into custody, Williamson said he had not planned to kill his wife, agreeing that it was a spontaneous event and he started to cry, sheriff’s investigator Phil Johnson wrote in an affidavit filed in support of the case.

Williamson has been charged with felony second-degree murder, alleging he killed Shirley Williamson “purposely and maliciously, but without premeditation.”

Plea deals sometimes result in charges being reduced; in other instances, prosecutors agree to put a cap on how much prison time they’ll request.

The case appeared to be headed toward a deal back in December, when Williamson pleaded not guilty to the charge, but agreed to allow probation/parole officers with the Wyoming Department of Corrections to prepare a pre-sentence investigation report. Those reports generally outline a defendant’s background, the crime in question and make a recommendation about an appropriate sentence.

At the time, Blatt told the Tribune he hoped the document “might shed some light that would be helpful ... towards a resolution.”

The confidential report was completed in mid-February and filed with the court shortly before Blatt requested the change of plea and sentencing hearing.

Williamson has been jailed since his arrest on the morning of Aug. 26, with bail set at $700,000.