A mother of triplets went missing last summer in Southeast Missouri … her husband is now charged with first-degree murder.

Clay Waller has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to the disappearance of Jacque Sue Waller, who was last seen leaving Clay’s house June first. Her car was later found abandoned on Interstate 55 near the Fruitland exit.

The Cape Girardeau County prosecutor says he will not seek the death penalty.

Clay Waller is serving a five-year prison sentence in Louisana on an unrelated crime. He pleaded guilty in October 2011 to posting threats online saying he wanted to kill Jacque’s sister, who has been watching the children. He is being held on a $1 million bond.

Jacque Waller, 39, still has not been found.

At present, Clay Waller is serving a five-year prison sentence in Louisiana unrelated to Jacque’s disappearance.

The murder charges say that Waller killed his wife “by unknown means” after deliberation; he’s also charged with tampering with evidence for concealing the body.

“There is a bit of relief in knowing that charges have been brought against Clay Waller,” Stan Rawson, Jacque’s father, stated in a release. “Perhaps he will finally feel compelled to reveal the location of our daughter and sibling, mother and friend, Jacque Waller.”

The Southeast Missourian reports that Clay Waller’s lawyer, Scott Reynolds, said he was aware of the charges Monday morning, and was not prepared to comment yet, but that “Clay has always maintained his innocence.”

Jacque Waller’s family the Wallers had met with an attorney about getting a divorce the day she disappeared.

Other details pointed out by The Southeast Missourian:

  • At the meeting the couple argued about financial problems, court documents say.
  • Jacque Waller’s blue Honda Pilot was seen at the house where Clay Waller was staying as late as 8 p.m. the day she went missing, though there is no account of her whereabouts for several hours that afternoon and evening. Her family last heard from her when she said she was going to meet Clay Waller to get one of their children from him.
  • The child ended up staying the night with Clay Waller’s girlfriend, court documents say.
  • Clay Waller later told police that Jacque had left the house on foot after an argument, and that when he returned home that night, her vehicle was gone.
  • When the man who owned the home where Clay Waller was staying came home that night, he found Clay Waller out of breath on the patio floor, according to court documents. Clay Waller said he’d been out for a bike ride.
  • Police documents said Clay Waller was asked to leave the home where he was staying on June 3, but that he cleaned the house before he left. Bloody carpet was later found stashed away inside, as well as blood spatter evidence on the walls. The blood on the walls and the carpet had a DNA profile that matched Jacque’s.
  • Police say they found Jacque’s laptop in her vehicle, and it contained a persoaln diary detailing death threats Clay Waller had repeatedly made against her. Jacque has not accessed any financial accounts or contacted her family since June 1.