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Woman charged in husband's slaying |
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Wednesday, 25 November 2009 |
By BRIAN HAWKINS
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Authorities on Wednesday charged an Oktibbeha County woman with murder in the fatal shooting of her husband while he was hunting early Sunday morning.
Sheriff Dolph Bryan said he and Deputy Brett Watson arrested Verina Marie Childes, 37, of 3875 Jeff Peay Road, on the murder charge around 11 a.m. Wednesday at her home.
Mrs. Childes was arrested without incident and is currently being held on a $125,000 bond in the Oktibbeha County Jail, Bryan said early Wednesday afternoon.
She is charged with the shooting death of her husband, Douglas Marion Childes, 32, whose body was found shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday about 30 feet inside a wooded area off Hawkins Road in western Oktibbeha County. The area where he was found is located a short distance from the Oktibbeha-Choctaw county line.
Mr. Childes died from a single gunshot wound to the heart, according to preliminary results of an autopsy conducted by pathologists at the Mississippi Crime Laboratory in Jackson on Monday that Bryan made public Wednesday.
Deputies had verified that Childs was hunting in the Hawkins Road area early Sunday morning, as were several others.
About the time Childs was shot, a man reported hearing a gunshot, then an exclamation of "Oh, no!" when he called another member of the hunting club, Bryan said Sunday as the initial investigation was taking place.
The hunting club member went to the area to check out the gunshot report and found Childs' body, Bryan said.
Bryan on Wednesday would not comment on what evidence deputies developed in the investigation that links Mrs. Childes' to her husband's fatal shooting, nor would he comment on whether there may have been witnesses to the incident.
Bryan also would not comment on what deputies believe to be the motive in Mr. Childes' murder, including a direct question about whether benefits from a life insurance policy may be involved.
"This case is all we've worked on the past three days," said Bryan. "The Mississippi Crime Lab was very helpful in bringing about a quick conclusion to this investigation. I appreciate their hard work and extra effort."
Bryan also thanked officers with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and detectives with the Starkville Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
A preliminary hearing for Mrs. Childes will be scheduled in Oktibbeha County Justice Court at a later date, Bryan said.
In a felony crime, a preliminary hearing would involve presentation of all evidence against a suspect to allow a judge to determine whether the case should be sent to the Oktibbeha County Grand Jury for possible indictment.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 November 2009 )
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