Albert L. Ortega/WireImageThe Shield's Michael Jace has officially been charged with murder.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office released a statement today, saying that Jace has been charged with one count of murder with a gun allegation after he fatally shot his wife, April Jace, inside their Hyde Park home on Monday.
Prosecutors are asking that bail be set at $2 million. The actor, who was booked on suspicion of murder around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, is scheduled to be arraigned sometime today at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to neighbors' calls who heard gunshots outside Jace's home. After arriving on the scene, they discovered April, 40, dead inside the house. The cops immediately detained Michael, 51.
The LAPD also said on Tuesday that the motive of the murder is believed to be domestic violence.
The Jaces were married for nine years. Their children, two boys under the age of 10, were in the home at the time of the shooting. The LAPD has not confirmed whether they witnessed their mom's murder.
This is not the first time Jace has been accused of domestic violence. Following his 2003 divorce from Jennifer Bitterman, Jace's close friend Maria de La Vega filed a declaration stating that she witnessed Jace choke Bitterman in front of their 6-month-old child (the declaration was filed as part of Jace's 2005 custody case concerning his son with Bitterman). Vega said she saw Jace choke and hit Bitterman and slam her against the wall, adding that Jace "was raging and out of control, and seeing the extent of his anger was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen."
Those aren't the only troubles that have plagued the actor's personal life—he also filed for bankruptcy in 2011. At the time, he had assets that totaled $325,000 but debts that reached $514,761.03 and had two mortgages on his home. At the time, he listed his average monthly income as $5,243.00.
Michael is best known for his role as police officer Julien Lowe in FX's The Shield. He also appeared in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump and starred in the 1999 Fox TV movie Michael Jordan: An American Hero.
Jace has often played a law enforcement or military officer on TV. He is credited with roles in Burn Notice, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Mentalist, NYPD Blue, Private Practice and Southland.