ST. LOUIS – Beau Rothwell told a jury he killed his pregnant wife with a kitchen mallet after admitting to her that he’d been having an affair since the summer. Rothwell, on trial for the 2019 murder of 28-year-old Jennifer Rothwell, explained that after struggles trying to conceive, sex with his wife became a “chore” and they grew apart. 

Beau took the stand Thursday morning as lead Defense Attorney Charles Barberio asked Beau to talk about how he met Jennifer in college at Mizzou where they were both chemical engineering majors and how they were each other's best friends. Beau even said they talked about having kids early on in their relationship and always wanted to be parents. 

The couple got married in 2015 and in fall of 2018, they tried to start having a family. Beau told the jurors that Jennifer had endometriosis, which made it difficult for them to conceive. The couple started tracking ovulation and were trying often, and a lot to get pregnant. 

“It turned into a chore,” Beau explained in reference to their efforts to conceive. He said he lost interest in their relationship and they started growing apart. Text messages presented in court Wednesday established the couple had been trying for months and were tracking ovulation. 

Beau then told the jury he began having an affair around June of 2019. He and Jennifer were still trying to conceive while he was seeing his mistress.  

On October 26, 2019, Beau explained Jennifer texted about getting a pregnancy test. He said later that night, they had ordered a pizza. He said he was juggling the delivery when their dog started barking, and that is when Jennifer came into the room and announced she was pregnant. Beau said it seemed strange because Jennifer was into big reveals and it seemed anti-climatic. He said he almost dropped the pizza upon receiving the news. 

Beau said as the news sank in, he and Jennifer began talking about a nursery and putting the baby on their insurance plan. Beau says shortly after learning Jennifer was pregnant, he broke up with his mistress. 

Barberio asked Beau about a message he sent to his mistress about the future of their relationship. It stated three possible outcomes: ending things altogether, admitting an affair and getting a divorce from Jennifer, or waiting to see if a miscarriage or something happens and then decide what to do.  

The defense attorney asked Beau if he had hoped it was a miscarriage. Beau sighed, and was struggling with the question. He then answered that he didn’t hope it was a miscarriage, but didn’t want to have to make a decision about his relationship at that point. 

“It was a confusing time,” Beau said.

Barberio asked if Beau had ever thought about killing anyone. Beau said no. 

On Nov. 11, the day of Jennifer’s death, Beau says his wife was texting him questions about insurance benefits for the baby. He explained he was more responsible when it came to making appointments, etc. He said he reminded her about enrolling before the enrollment period ended. 

Beau said he went to work and returned home as normal. He explained Jennifer got home around 5:15 p.m. and together they watched Netflix and then headed upstairs to the kitchen to make dinner. Beau said it was during dinner time when he told Jennifer about the affair and that he wanted to try and salvage things. 

He then explained they got into an argument and Jennifer wanted to know who he was having an affair with. Beau said he told her it wasn’t important but she kept on asking and was cussing. 

Beau says he told Jennifer, “ I messed up, how can I fix this?” Beau said Jennifer responded, “You can’t fix this.” Beau said Jennifer shoved him on the shoulder and said she had been having an affair too, but wouldn’t say with whom, but that at least that person could get her pregnant. 

DNA from the unborn baby did prove that it was Beau’s baby.

A teary Beau then explained he grabbed a food mallet off the kitchen wall and hit Jennifer on the head. He said she started to move toward the garage and he hit her again, cracking her skull and then she fell down the basement stairs. 

Beau explained he went into panic mode, believing he had to “hide” and “fix” the situation. On Wednesday, detectives detailed the massive amounts of blood at the crime scene and how Beau tried to clean it up. 

Beau told the jury he went to different stores and bought cleaning supplies, using cash and gift cards to make the purchases. 

Around 2 a.m., Beau said he decided he needed to move the body. He says he grabbed a tarp and moved Jennifer’s body to the bed of his truck. He said that he watched in crime shows that people got rid of evidence so that is why he took off Jennifer’s clothes and put a bag over her head.

He said he then drove out of town and did not know where he was going. He said he drove until he was “lost.”

After putting her body in grass and covering it with shrubs and tree branches, he says he drove to a business without cameras and tossed the cleaning supplies and clothes into a dumpster. 

On Nov. 12, 2019, the morning after the murder, Beau knew Jennifer would be expected at work. He says he had to “keep up the facade of normalcy.” He drove Jennifer’s car down Olive Boulevard, and ran it off the road so it looked like she got into a crash. He walked back home and then went to work himself. 

Beau called 911 at 9:44 p.m. that night to report his wife missing, saying he last saw her that morning as she was leaving for work. 

Both the defense and prosecution asked Beau about lying to Jennifer’s family, coworkers, and police about what happened. Loved ones organized a search in the days after her disappearance and even posted fliers around town. 

Beau said he wasn’t planning on killing Jennifer, but did admit to weighing the pros and cons of leaving her. 

He did say he felt guilty for having an affair, and even told his mistress he loved her. He also told the jury he still communicates with his mistress. 

Beau said he believed Jennifer when she said she also was having an affair. He said Jennifer would speak to a man online about Game of Thrones, she would come late from work, and girls night outs would turn into overnighters. 

When Beau found out the baby was his, he said he was devastated.