A 66-year-old Iowa woman is accused of killing her 72-year-old husband by shooting him in the back of their home after he threatened to hit their dog with a cane.
Kimberly Ann Charlton was arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of David Alan Charlton, authorities said. According to a news release from the Cedar Falls Department of Public Safety, police officers responded to a home in the 4300 block of Newland Drive around 6:32 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving a report of a domestic dispute in which one person “had possibly been shot.” The home is approximately 100 miles southwest of Des Moines.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they reported finding an adult male victim — later identified as David Charlton — who appeared to have died from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Kimberly Charlton, the victim’s wife, was also found at the scene and arrested.
Black Hawk County Dispatch, MercyOne Paramedics, and the Cedar Falls Fire Division all helped with the investigation, according to police.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier newspaper obtained a copy of the criminal complaint, which provided additional details about the shooting.
According to the report, when questioned by detectives, Kimberly Charlton stated that earlier that evening, her husband attempted to assault her in their bedroom. She claimed that their dog intervened and stopped the alleged attack.
David Charlton then left the bedroom, only to return a short time later with his walking cane and threaten to beat the dog, according to Kimberly Charlton. According to reports, the dog ran down the hallway, and David Charlton followed, still wielding the cane. Her husband went after the dog.
Kimberly Charlton allegedly grabbed a firearm from a dresser in the bedroom, went into the hallway, and threatened her husband, “I’m going to shoot you if you don’t stop.” When he refused to stop, Kimberly Charlton allegedly admitted to firing a single shot into the center of her husband’s back.
Kimberly Charlton is currently being held in Black Hawk County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to records.
