An Alabama woman is in prison after allegedly murdering her husband as he slept.
According to Dale County Jail records, Annie Huffstutler, 42, is charged with murder in the death of Shawn Christian Watson, 38. Sheriff Mason Bynum told the Dothan Eagle that his officers responded shortly after 2:30 a.m. Saturday to a shooting at a home in the 1000 block of West Main Street in Ariton, a small town of less than 1,000 people 75 miles southeast of Montgomery.
Bynum claimed Huffstutler walked into the bedroom and shot her husband while he was sleeping. The coroner declared Watson dead on the scene.
The sheriff told local CBS affiliate WTVY that five children were in the house at the time of the shooting, but none of them witnessed the crime. According to Bynum, one of the children called 911 after hearing the gunshot.
“We have contacted our partners at the Wiregrass Angel House to provide assistance to the family as they begin this process of grief and the journey towards emotional recovery,” Bynum relayed to the Eagle.
Police did not reveal a possible motive for the incident. Deputies did not immediately respond to a message seeking additional information about the incident. A probable cause arrest affidavit that would provide more information about the shooting was also not immediately available.
Watson paid tribute to his wife in a Facebook post in January to commemorate their anniversary.
“Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife, another one in the books.” Through all of our sacrifice and determination, we will continue to grow, love, and have fun while making memories for a lifetime. I LOVE YOU, Annie Huffstutler Watson,” he wrote.
Huffstutler remains in the Dale County Jail without bond.
