Inset left: Harriett Recker (Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Dennis Recker (Obituary). Background: Preston Health Center in Hilton Head, S.C. (Google Maps).
An 82-year-old woman accused of killing her husband at an assisted living facility had planned the act beforehand and even detailed her intentions in a note, according to South Carolina authorities.
Harriett Recker is facing charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, as per Beaufort County court records. The death of Dennis Recker, 81, occurred on the morning of Sept. 12, with new information suggesting that the crime was premeditated.
Deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting report at around 10:30 a.m. at Preston Health Center at the Cypress in Hilton Head, as previously reported by Law&Crime. On arrival, authorities found Dennis Recker with a gunshot wound.
Harriett Recker is said to have been there too, “alongside her spouse,” according to the sheriff’s department.
According to Savannah, Georgia-based CBS affiliate WTOC, Dennis Recker was brought to the facility the day before for treatment. On the morning of the incident, a neighbor accompanied Harriett Recker to the facility, and upon reaching her husband’s room, they noticed a missing chair.
As the third party went to find another chair, they heard a loud noise upon leaving. Rushing back to the room, a staff member reportedly saw Harriet Recker with a revolver and Dennis Recker clutching his chest. In apparent shock, he reportedly said, “She shot me,” according to law enforcement.
The victim was given emergency medical care at the facility, but he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
During a court appearance on Friday, authorities outlined why they believe Harriett Recker planned to kill her husband.
Financial documents and interviews with witnesses and family members helped investigators form their theory — but it was the discovery of notes that may have been the breakthrough, the local TV station reported.
“To you all, this has just been too much for me; I so wish I could do it with the wonderful family we have, so many good friends,” Harriet Recker reportedly wrote. “He can’t have a life without someone, and that someone can’t be me as I am just not strong enough or smart enough to do all this.”
This note was in her purse, an identical one was at her home, and a similar one was sent to her neighbor, according to WTOC.
The Preston Health Center provides short- and long-term health care, including memory care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Is it not clear what Dennis Recker was being treated for.
The case has been sent to a grand jury as prosecutors seek a formal indictment against Harriett Recker.
