Elderly South Carolina man fatally shoots 83-year-old wife, lies beside her until cops arrive
DORCHESTER COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: An elderly South Carolina man has been arrested and charged in connection to the death of his 83-year-old wife after he admitted to shooting her at their home in Ridgeville, a 45-minute drive from Charleston.
Edwin Nelson Jr., 90, was arrested after deputies from the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office responded to a residence on 1768 Highway 61 at 5:20 am on Saturday, August 17, after dispatch received a call from a man who claimed he had shot his wife, according to WCSC.
On arriving at the scene, deputies found that his wife Sarah M. Nelson, 83, of Ridgeville, South Carolina, had been shot in the chest. The affidavit filed in connection to the case states that they also saw Nelson Jr. lying beside her when they entered the residence.
Following a search, the deputies recovered a .38 caliber revolver, which is believed to be the murder weapon, from the residence.
Dorchester County Coroner Paul Brouthers said the 83-year-old died at the scene. Fox News reported that an autopsy on her body has been planned at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Neighbors of the elderly couple in the sleepy town of just 2,000-odd people have been taken aback by the shooting, which they said was uncharacteristic of the 90-year-old.
Bunny Igoe and her husband were their long-time friends, and the former said everyone in the area knew Nelson Jr. and his wife as a normal couple.
"Knowing how he loved her, they were always walking hand in hand, I think the medication that they gave changed him or something had altered his mind in order for him to come to this," Igoe said.
Nelson Jr. was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with murder. He was denied bond during a hearing in court on August 18 and is currently being held at the Knight Detention Center.
The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office and Dorchester County Coroner's Office is still investigating the shooting.