A Jefferson County grand jury has indicted a Port Arthur woman for the February murder of her boyfriend.

Ethel Marie Eulian, also known as Ethel Marie Prior, remains in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bond for the shooting death of Chris Jeffries, a former Port Arthur Police officer.

Jeffries was found dead from a gunshot wound in a back room of his home the 2200 block of Glenwood on Feb. 21. He was last seen Feb. 19.

Police received a tip regarding the incident on Feb. 19 and asked Eulian permission to check on the welfare of Jeffries. She refused, police said.

Law enforcement later forcibly entered the home and found Jeffries dead.

Murder is a first-degree felony. The penalty ranges from five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Jeffries was on the PAPD force about six years and resigned in the late 1990’s.

Jeffries’ death marks the first homicide in the city this year.

An indictment is not a final conviction of guilt; it is only a ruling by the grand jury that allows the district attorney’s office to proceed with a criminal case.

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