In a turn of events that underscores the digital age’s impact on crime investigations, a woman from North Carolina, initially seeking help for her husband’s apparent suicide, now faces grave accusations of murder. The unexpected twist arose from her own online searches.
The Huntersville Police Department responded to an emergency call on November 10, where Susan Michelle Perry had reported her husband Joe Perry’s suicide attempt. According to an arrest warrant obtained by Oxygen, the discovery inside their home suggested something more sinister. Officers encountered Joe, 58, lying in his office with a gunshot wound to the chest, while Susan, 54, was found kneeling nearby, with a firearm placed on a table close by. Despite immediate efforts by first responders to revive Joe, he was declared dead at the scene.
In her statement to the police, Susan recounted hearing a noise reminiscent of a fall, prompting her to check on Joe. She claimed to have found him bleeding and immediately called 911, reporting the incident as a suicide attempt.
However, the investigation took a dramatic turn when detectives delved into the data on Susan’s phone. They discovered internet activity that raised suspicions. The affidavit highlighted her search history, which included queries about the value of her husband’s wedding ring, advice on coping with a financially unstable divorce, and even searches for “center mass shots.”
The digital trail left by these searches has now placed Susan Perry at the center of a murder investigation, a stark reminder of how personal technology can play a pivotal role in unraveling complex criminal cases.
Susan’s phone, police wrote in the affidavit, had “several searches regarding how much her husband’s wedding ring is worth, what to do if your husband wants a divorce and you have no money and Google searched ‘center mass shots.’”
On Feb. 6, during a second police interview, Susan, according to the affidavit, claimed that she and Joe had argued the night before his death because he wanted a divorce. The next morning, she said, the couple fought again in their hallway then Susan followed Joe into his home office.
Joe grabbed his gun, Susan told police, however, he held it “normally” and wasn’t pointing it at either of them. Scared that he might fire the weapon, Susan said she grabbed it and the pair started struggling. Susan said she was still holding the gun when it went off, and Joe was hit in the chest.
However, according to police, Susan made several inconsistent statements including the length of time that she allegedly delayed care for Joe, whether she tried to administer aid at all and where she put the gun after he was shot.
The medical examiner, whose results were cited in the affidavit, determined that Joe was shot at close range, which aligned with the distance between his and Susan’s bodies.
She was arrested for first-degree murder and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail with a $150,000 bond. She was also ordered a mental health assessment. Her next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27.
Susan and her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen and it’s unclear how she plans to plead.
