Lucille 'took her life' after finding her police officer husband cheating. But it wasn't as it seemed.

It was a crisp November morning in 2023 when the phone rang at Warner Robins Police Department in Georgia.

The voice on the other end was a man reporting that he'd returned from walking his dog to find his wife dead by suicide.

But as the police would soon discover, this wasn't a tragic case of mental health gone wrong. It was something far more sinister.

The caller was Brian McManus, a 57-year-old former London police officer who had seemingly found love in America.

He'd met his wife, 63-year-old Lucille Ann McManus, on Tinder in 2022, and they'd married just three months later in what appeared to be a whirlwind romance.

When officers arrived at the couple's home, they found Lucille's body on the bed, naked with a head injury, Fox5 News reports.

But something didn't sit right with investigators.

Listen to Mamamia's True Crime Conversations podcast. Post continues below.

Brian's behaviour was immediately concerning.

According to Fox5 News, Brian made multiple statements to police where he appeared to show "no concern at all for his wife".

The only time he displayed any emotion? When discussing the possibility of being considered a suspect.

As investigators dug deeper, a disturbing pattern emerged.

Brian hadn't married for love, he'd married for a green card.

District Attorney Eric Edwards said Brian had orchestrated the entire relationship to secure permanent residency after a previous marriage in Idaho had ended in divorce following domestic violence allegations.

Even more troubling were the revelations about his past in the UK.

Brian had been kicked out of British law enforcement after multiple women reported feeling sexually threatened by him, 13WMAZ reports.

Brian wasn't exactly the doting, loving husband Lucille had been promised.

Brian McManus was charged with Lucille's murder. Image: Warner Robins Police Department via 13WMAZ.

13WMAZ reports he had a secret girlfriend in Florida and planned to run off with her.

Authorities said he'd been taking fake business trips to visit his mistress, living a double life whilst his unsuspecting wife believed she was in a loving marriage, according to Fox5 News.

Everything unravelled when Brian accidentally sent a text meant for his girlfriend to Lucille instead.

Furious and heartbroken, Lucille reportedly threatened to expose their marriage as a "sham" and report him to authorities — a threat that would have meant deportation for Brian.

Facing the collapse of his carefully constructed plan, Brian made a chilling decision.

According to investigators, on November 24, 2023, as Lucille stepped out of the shower, Brian struck her in the head with an object and then strangled her, Fox5 News reports.

But Brian wasn't finished.

He washed himself off, took his dog for a walk (disposing of his phone and the murder weapon in a ditch), returned home, put his clothes in the washing machine, and only then called 911 to report finding his wife's body.

Lucille was found dead on November 24, 2023. Image: National Gun Violence Memorial.

Initially, he claimed Lucille had died from an "obvious" self-inflicted gunshot wound, 13WMAZ reports.

The autopsy told a different story entirely: Lucille had been beaten to death.

When his suicide story fell apart, Brian desperately tried to shift blame.

First, he accused Lucille's granddaughter and her boyfriend, but phone data proved they were nowhere near the scene.

Then he claimed it was a break-in — another lie quickly disproved by evidence.

"McManus tried to cover the murder up, pin it on the victim's family, and walk away without consequence. He failed," the Houston County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Assistant District Attorney Justin Duane slammed Brian as an "evil sociopath" who manipulated Lucille into a sham marriage.

"He is a textbook narcissist who thinks he is the smartest man in the room," she said, per Fox5 News.

"I am glad that the jury saw him for what he was, a monster, and grateful that the victim's family finally has some answers."

Following a six-day trial, Brian was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison, according to The Macon Telegraph.

"Miss Ann's voice was stolen, but her story was told — and her killer will never have the opportunity to silence anyone again," Duane said.

Feature image: National Gun Violence Memorial.