Middletown man indicted for murder in wife’s death

A Middletown man has been indicted for murder in the December shooting death of his wife.

The indictment was handed down this morning by a Butler County grand jury against Gregory Orona Jr, 35, of Wilbraham Road.

Orona was arrested on Dec. 19 by Middletown police after allegedly shooting and killing his wife on Dec, 17.

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Family members say Cassie Sanders-Orona, 42, was abused by Orona. Since late May, Middletown police have responded to the address in the 2900 block of Wilbraham Road about a dozen times. Several times, police were called to break up altercations between the couple, according to police reports.

Police say Orona gave different stories about what happened when Sanders-Orona was killed.

During a preliminary hearing in December, police testified that Orona told officers that he heard what he thought was an intruder outside their Wilbraham Road residence and that the 20-gauge shotgun accidentally went off.

Orona’s stories and the crime scene evidence were not consistent, police said.

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Gregory Orona Sr. told this news outlet that his son was climbing over Sanders with the 20-gauge single-shot shotgun in his hand. He said his son had a finger on the trigger but did not realize the shotgun had been cocked when it went off.

Orona Jr. faces 15 years to life if convicted of murder with an additional three years for a gun specification.

Orona remains in Middletown City Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.

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