Woman arrested months after allegedly staging husband’s murder as suicide

A North Carolina woman who initially told police her husband had taken his own life has now been charged with his murder, three months after the fatal shooting, authorities said.

WBTV Charlotte reports Susan Michelle Perry was arrested on Friday in Huntersville and accused of shooting her husband, Robert 'Joe' Perry, in the chest at their home in November 2025.

Officers had first responded to what was reported as a suicide.

According to local police and court affidavits, officers arriving at the house on 10 November found Robert Perry lying on the floor with a gunshot wound, while Susan Perry knelt beside him.

She told officers she had heard a thump sound, then found her husband bleeding and called 911.

Investigators later questioned that account.

A search of Perry’s phone allegedly revealed internet queries including the value of her husband’s wedding ring, “what to do if your husband wants a divorce – and you have no money”, and “center mass shots”, according to the affidavit.

When reinterviewed months later, Perry reportedly told detectives the couple had argued about divorce both the night before and the morning of the shooting.

She said her husband grabbed a firearm and that it discharged during a struggle, striking him in the chest.

The couple had been married for more than 30 years and shared two children.

On Monday, a judge set bond at $150,000, ordered a mental health assessment and directed that all firearms be removed from the home.

If released, Perry will be placed under electronic monitoring and restricted to leaving only for medical or court appointments.

Perry is due to appear in court on 27 February.