Pro Wrestler’s Wife Divorced Him. 3 Days Later, Police Say Her New Boyfriend Shot Him Dead

A woman and her boyfriend have been arrested in connection with the July shooting death of her ex-husband, a former WWE performer, authorities said.

Michael Hogue, 51, and Amanda Penny, 40, were taken into custody on Monday, Nov. 17, and each charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by certain persons in the death of 41-year-old Kevin Nikel, according to a news release from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

On July 11, deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the Rogers, Ark., area, where Nikel was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the sheriff’s office said in an earlier release. He was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

Nikel’s mother, Susan Kinderman, told 5NEWS that relatives “still don’t know exactly what happened when he got shot.”

“The detectives have been pretty close lipped on that, which is good, but we’d still like to know exactly what happened and who did what,” she added.

Kinderman also told the outlet that Nikel and Penny had been high school sweethearts. The pair finalized their divorce just days before the shooting, per 5NEWS. According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, which cited court records, the divorce was officially granted on July 8.

Court documents state that Penny and Hogue are romantically involved, the Democrat Gazette reported.

At a bond hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 19, Penny’s public defender informed the judge that Penny is seven months pregnant and under a doctor’s care, according to the Democrat Gazette.

Nikel wrestled in WWE NXT under the ring name Knuckles Madsen from 2012 to 2013. He later founded the Ozark Wrestling Academy and the Ozark Mountain Wrestling promotion, according to his obituary.

Hogue is being held on a $750,000 bond, while Penny’s bond is set at $500,000, per the Democrat Gazette.