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A North Carolina woman, initially thought to be calling for help in her husband’s suicide, now faces charges of murder, with her internet searches playing a crucial role in the investigation.
On November 10, officers from the Huntersville Police Department responded to a distress call from the residence of Susan Michelle Perry and her husband, Joe Perry, as reported by Oxygen through an arrest warrant. They arrived to find Joe, 58, lying on his back in his office, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Susan, 54, was found kneeling beside him with a gun placed on a nearby table. Despite the efforts of emergency responders, Joe was declared deceased at the scene.
In her statement to the police, Susan recounted hearing a noise that sounded like Joe had fallen. Upon entering his office, she discovered him on his side, bleeding, which prompted her to make the emergency call that was initially recorded as a possible suicide.
However, the investigation took a turn when detectives examined the data from Susan’s phone. The internet history revealed during this process raised suspicions and became a pivotal element in the case against her.
As part of an investigation, when detectives downloaded the contents of Susan’s phone, her internet activity caught their attention.
Susan’s phone, police wrote in the affidavit, had “several searches regarding how much her husband’s wedding ring is worth, what to do if your husband wants a divorce and you have no money and Google searched ‘center mass shots.’”
On Feb. 6, during a second police interview, Susan, according to the affidavit, claimed that she and Joe had argued the night before his death because he wanted a divorce. The next morning, she said, the couple fought again in their hallway then Susan followed Joe into his home office.
Joe grabbed his gun, Susan told police, however, he held it “normally” and wasn’t pointing it at either of them. Scared that he might fire the weapon, Susan said she grabbed it and the pair started struggling. Susan said she was still holding the gun when it went off, and Joe was hit in the chest.
However, according to police, Susan made several inconsistent statements including the length of time that she allegedly delayed care for Joe, whether she tried to administer aid at all and where she put the gun after he was shot.
The medical examiner, whose results were cited in the affidavit, determined that Joe was shot at close range, which aligned with the distance between his and Susan’s bodies.
She was arrested for first-degree murder and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail with a $150,000 bond. She was also ordered a mental health assessment. Her next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Susan and her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen and it’s unclear how she plans to plead.