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Suzanne Mericle, 61, faces charges of murder, aggravated assault & possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in the shooting death of James Barron.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — A St. Simons Island dentist was arrested Saturday for the murder of her boyfriend, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Suzanne Mericle, 61, faces charges of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, a HCSO Facebook post states. She’s accused of shooting and killing James David Barron, 68, of Gainesville, Ga. with a handgun.
The sheriff’s office says Mericle and Barron lived together at a home in Gainesville.
At approximately 1:15 a.m. Saturday, HCSO’s post says deputies responded to the home, located in the 4200 block of Bayridge Drive off C. Rogers Road. When they arrived, Barron was found shot in his torso and unresponsive in a bedroom, according to HCSO.
Mericle was at the home, too, when deputies arrived, police say.
Hall County Fire Rescue then responded to the home and took Barron to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville where he was pronounced dead.
HCSO says Mericle was then taken into custody at the Hall County Jail, where she remained without bond Saturday afternoon.
Mericle owns Mericle Dentistry in St. Simons Island.
The case remains under investigation.
