RI man faces Caribbean murder charges in wife’s scuba death; already responsible in civil case

RI man faces Caribbean trial in wife’s scuba death

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island man accused of killing his wife while scuba diving off the coast of Tortola 10 years ago is facing a murder trial in the British Virgin Islands this week.

David Swain maintains his innocence and his lawyer says the 1999 death of his wife, Shelley Tyre, was a “tragic accident.”

Her parents allege that he killed her because he was romancing another woman and because the couple’s prenuptial agreement allowed him nothing if they were to divorce.

A civil jury in Rhode Island found Swain responsible for Tyre’s death in 2006 and awarded her parents millions of dollars in damages.