KEARNEY, Mo. (TCN) — A 48-year-old woman is in custody on suspicion of fatally shooting her husband in their home before allegedly calling 911 and admitting to the crime.
According to a probable cause statement, on June 18, Melissa Hoffner-Allen was on the phone with Clay County Dispatch and said she shot her husband in the chest. Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies subsequently responded to her home on Kountry Ridge Drive and found the victim, 50-year-old Ricky Allen, deceased at the scene with a gunshot wound.
Deputies reportedly found a spent shell casing on the staircase, as well as several firearms. According to the probable cause statement, detectives also observed a “defect in the drywall indicating that a possible disturbance occurred due to particles of drywall having fallen to the ground resting on top of animal hair and animal food.”
During an interview, Hoffner-Allen reportedly told officials her husband was “mad at her and choked her.” She allegedly grabbed a gun from upstairs, and her husband said “shoot me.” Investigators allege she then fatally shot her husband in the chest.
Hoffner-Allen reportedly used a firearm the victim had recently purchased.
While processing the scene and taking photographs, deputies reportedly noticed bruising on Hoffner-Allen’s arms. The probable cause statement said Hoffner-Allen was wearing a tight dress at the time of the shooting, which meant she “could not have had the firearm on her person and had to separate herself from Mr. Allen and return.”
Officials booked Hoffner-Allen into the Clay County Detention Center on a charge of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She remains held on $250,000 bond.
