Lake Norman woman told police husband died by suicide but later changed her story
A Huntersville woman now facing a murder charge changed her story about how her husband died in November from a gunshot wound to the chest, court records said.
Susan Michelle Perry, 54, was arrested on Feb. 6 and charged with first-degree murder after Huntersville police said she made inconsistent statements about what happened on Nov. 10.
An affidavit filed in court alleges that said Perry called the police 12:50 p.m. Nov. 10 to report her husband attempted suicide at a home on New Oak Lane. Responding officers said Perry was kneeling on the floor, the affidavit said.
Robert Joseph “Joe” Perry, her husband, was lying on his back in his office, the affidavit said. He was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot wound in the center of his chest.
“Michelle advised she heard a ‘thud’ in which it sounded like Joe had fallen,” the affidavit said. “She advised she went into his office and saw him lying on his side with blood and called 911.”
A firearm was found on a table and blood droplets were around a stool near a table, the affidavit said.
Clues in woman’s phone
An examination of Michelle Perry’s phone showed searches for the value of her husband’s ring, “what to do if your husband wants a divorce and you have no money,” and “center mass shots.”
Police interviewed Michelle Perry again on Feb. 6 and accused her of changing her story, the affidavit said. She said then said she and her husband argued about him wanting a divorce, he grabbed his gun, and she reached for it after she thought he might use it on her.
During the struggle, she told police, the gun went off, and she was holding it when Robert Perry was shot in the chest. Police also accused her of making inconsistent comments about how long she delayed care for her husband, if she provided aid at all, and where she put the gun after her husband was shot, the affidavit said.
A Mecklenburg County Jail spokesperson said Michelle Perry was being held on a $150,000 secured bond.
