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Suzanne Mericle faces seven charges, including felony and malice murder, in connection to the killing of her boyfriend, James Barron.
HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A grand jury has indicted a St. Simons Island dentist charged in her boyfriend’s murder.
According to the indictment, Suzanne Mericle faces charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property in the first degree, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and tampering with evidence. Her arraignment is set for Aug. 5, and she remains jailed after a judge denied her request for bail.
Mericle is the owner of Mericle Dentistry on St. Simons Island.
She was arrested on March 8 in connection to the murder of her boyfriend, 68-year-old James David Barron.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Mericle and Barron lived together at a home in Gainesville, Ga.
The sheriff’s office said when deputies arrived at their home on the day of Barron’s murder, he was found shot in his torso and unresponsive in a bedroom.
Mericle was at the home, too, when deputies arrived, police said.
Hall County Fire Rescue then responded to the home and took Barron to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville where he was pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office said Mericle was taken into custody at the Hall County Jail.
The sheriff’s office told First Coast News Mericle was arrested three weeks before Barron’s murder on Feb. 16, 2025. She was charged with DUI, obstruction of an officer and unsafe operation of a vehicle.
Wrongful death lawsuit
Barron’s two children filed a wrongful death suit on March 19, which alleges Mericle shot Barron through a door at their home following an argument.
The complaint also alleges Mericle was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting. The suit seeks to recover all damages allowable by law, including for Barron’s lost wages, mental and physical suffering, funeral expenses and attorney fees.
An attorney for Mericle filed an answer to the suit on April 17.
Mericle asserted her Fifth Amendment right to most of the claims made in the suit. Her attorney also filed a motion for a protective order and a motion to stay the case until her criminal case is finished. The motion claims presenting a defense in the civil case “poses the risk of a life sentence in the criminal case” since Mericle could incriminate herself.
