Inset left: Harriett Recker (Beaufort County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Dennis Recker (Altogether funeral services). Background: Preston Health Center in Hilton Head, S.C. (Google Maps).
An octogenarian woman, accused of fatally shooting her husband at a senior living community in South Carolina, has secured bail, allowing her to travel to Hawaii.
Harriett Recker faces charges of murder in the death of her 81-year-old husband, Dennis Recker, along with an accusation of possessing a weapon during the crime, as indicated by Beaufort County court records.
Since her arrest for the shooting on September 12, Recker has been detained at the Beaufort County Detention Center. However, on Friday, she was granted bail under the stipulation that she “may reside with [her] son in Hawaii” but “shall only be released into [his] care.” The bond was set at $50,000.
According to CBS affiliate WTOC, Dennis Recker had been admitted to the Preston Health Center at the Cypress in Hilton Head for treatment on September 11. The next morning, a neighbor accompanied Harriett Recker to visit him. Upon arriving at his room, they noticed a missing chair.
The neighbor left to find another chair, but as they were leaving, a loud noise was heard. A staff member rushed back to the room and reportedly found Harriett Recker clutching a revolver while Dennis Recker, holding his chest, expressed shock, saying, “She shot me,” according to police reports.
Deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded promptly to the reported shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Dennis Recker had been shot and Harriett Recker was present “beside her husband,” as previously detailed by Law&Crime.
The victim was given emergency medical care at the facility, but he later succumbed to his injuries, deputies said.
During a court appearance last month, authorities outlined why they believed the shooting was premeditated.
Financial documents, as well as 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,” Harriett 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.
Law&Crime has reached out to Beaufort County officials to determine whether Harriett Recker’s son is also Dennis Recker’s son, or if this younger man is the child of a different man.
