Local police are still trying to understand why a Dalton woman might have killed her husband when he was asleep.
Rita Spurgeon, 49, was arrested and charged with murder in the death of her husband, Audie, on Tuesday morning, Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood said.
When Mrs. Spurgeon called 911 about 1:40 a.m. Tuesday, she said an intruder broke into the couple’s home at 335 Maple Grove road, shot her husband, then fled, Sheriff Chitwood said.
Detectives arrived at the home and found Mr. Spurgeon in his bed, shot in the head, the sheriff said. When they couldn’t find any evidence that someone had broken into the house, Mrs. Spurgeon was questioned further, he said.
“There was just a lot of holes in her story,” he said. “After continuing to speak with her, she finally broke down and confessed.”
After searching the yard, investigators found a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol that belonged Mr. Spurgeon in the woods next to the house, Sheriff Chitwood said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to help with the investigation.
GBI Assistant Special Agent Greg Ramey, in charge of the Dalton office, said officers interviewed family members Tuesday afternoon, but he didn’t give out any names.
The couple didn’t have any children together, but Agent Ramey said they had children from previous marriages.
Mrs. Spurgeon is being held in Whitfield County jail. Her bond hearing will be later this week, Sheriff Chitwood said.