Sheen's Wife Recanting Knife Threat Story?
Charlie Sheen's wife told police the actor pinned her on a bed, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her in a Christmas Day fight that began when she said she wanted a divorce.
An arrest warrant affidavit released Monday quotes Brooke Mueller Sheen as saying that the actor straddled her on a bed with one hand grasping her neck and the other holding the knife. She said Sheen told her: "You better be in fear. If you tell anybody, I'll kill you."
He also told her, "Your mother's money means nothing, I have ex-police I can hire who know how to get the job done and they won't leave any trace," according to the affidavit.
But, says celebrity Web Site TMZ.com, Mueller is now taking it back, and was legally drunk when she made a 911 call reporting the alleged incident.
Authorities haven't identified the accuser, but the woman on the 911 call says her name is Brooke and that her husband is Charlie Sheen. Sheen is married to Brooke Mueller Sheen.
The woman can be heard weeping and sometimes her words are inaudible. At one point she says, "My husband had me (inaudible) with um, with a knife, and (inaudible) he threatened me." Later, she says, "I thought I was gonna die for one hour."
The woman says her family is also in the house and that her husband was in another room when she called 911.
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The 44-year-old Sheen denied threatening his wife with a knife or choking her, and told officers they had slapped each other on the arms and that he had snapped two pairs of her eyeglasses in front of her, according to the affidavit. An ambulance was sent to their house in Aspen, Colorado, but police say no one was taken to the hospital.
TMZ says sources tell it authorities "gave both Charlie and Brooke blood alcohol tests. Brooke registered a .13 while Charlie registered a .04. ... We're also told Brooke recanted her story to a female officer just before the bail hearing, telling the cop she was drunk when she made the 911 call. Nevertheless, law enforcement sources say police will still pursue the case -- at least for now."
CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom was asked by Debbye Turner Bell on "The Early Show" Tuesday about the impact on the possible case against Sheen of his wife recanting her story -- if she has -- and of her having been drunk when the 911 call was made -- if she was:
Sheen, who is listed in the affidavit as Carlos Irwin Estevez, told police he and his wife have been having marital problems and that she abuses alcohol.
No phone listing could be found for Brooke Sheen, and it wasn't clear whether she has an attorney. The affidavit refers to her as Brooke Mueller.
Sheen was arrested on suspicion of menacing, second-degree assault and criminal mischief. The affidavit also lists a charge of domestic violence, which authorities had not previously mentioned. Sheen is free on $8,500 bond. His lawyer and his agent didn't immediately return calls on Monday.
The couple began arguing around 3:30 a.m. on Christmas Day, the affidavit said. Brooke Sheen told her husband she wanted a divorce and would get custody of their children, according to the affidavit. The couple have twin boys born in March.
Charlie Sheen told police he "became very upset with this threat (of divorce) because of prior experiences." He went through a bitter divorce and custody battle with his previous wife, actress Denise Richards.
Police say Charlie Sheen surrendered a folding knife with a 4-inch blade.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin said Monday the menacing charge is the most serious, usually carrying a sentence of two to eight years in prison and a fine of $2,000 to $500,000. Mordkin said Sheen's next court appearance is Feb. 8, and no decision on whether to prosecute him is expected until shortly before that.
Charlie Sheen stars in CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and Brooke Mueller Sheen is a real estate investor. The couple married in May 2008.