A domestic dispute ended with a Meigs County, Tenn., woman fatally shooting her boyfriend at their home in the Georgetown community Wednesday morning, according to the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office.
Dede Neely has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after admitting she shot Brian Cofer at 1483 Highway 58 in the Georgetown community, said Lt. Detective Scotty Wiggins.
Cofer’s 3-year-old daughter with Neely, his father, and his 15-year-old brother were at the home at the time of the shooting, Wiggins said.
“This all stems from an argument the night before where Mr. Cofer produced a weapon and threatened Ms. Neely that if she left the residence he’d kill her,” Wiggins said.
Neely told investigators the argument had settled down that night and that the couple had gone to bed, but that violence flared up again the next morning. According to Neely, Cofer attempted to attack her with a .22-caliber rifle. She said she grabbed the weapon shortly after he put it down and shot Cofer in his father’s bedroom. Wiggins said Neely called the sheriff’s office after the shooting.
“We’ll see in courts whether she will plead self-defense,” Wiggins said.
Neely has been booked in the Meigs County Jail where she is being held on a $25,000 bond. Her court date is set for Jan. 20.