Retired judge Jacques Delisle was charged in the Quebec City courthouse Tuesday with the first-degree murder of his wife.

Delisle, 75, is a retired Court of Appeal justice who allegedly killed his 71-year-old wife, Nicole Rainville, on November 12 in the province's capital.

The death was initially classified as a suicide, said Quebec police Const. Sandra Dion, but the arrest was made following a lengthy investigation.

An autopsy report revealed new information about the woman's death.

"The events go back to Nov. 12, 2009 (when), around 10:22 in the morning, the Quebec City police service received a call about a woman who had just taken her life," Dion said.

A court clerk said Delisle, who was named to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 1992, also faces a charge of possessing an illegal firearm.

The murder case is extremely rare for a person of Delisle's credentials, said Martine Berube, spokesperson for the Quebec Bureau of Criminal and Penal Prosecution.

"Having a judge accused of first degree murder in Canada -- we've never seen that before," she said.

Delisle, a Montreal native who retired in April 2009, is being detained until his next court appearance on Monday.

With a report from The Canadian Press.