Inset left: Harriett Recker (Beaufort County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Dennis Recker (Altogether funeral services). Background: Preston Health Center in Hilton Head, S.C. (Google Maps).
An 82-year-old woman accused of killing her husband at an assisted living facility in South Carolina has been granted bond to go to Hawaii.
Harriett Recker is charged with murder in the death of her spouse, 81-year-old Dennis Recker. She also has been charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, Beaufort County court records show.
The suspect was being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center since being arrested for the Sept. 12 shooting. However, on Friday, Harriett Recker was granted bond, with the condition that she “may live with [her] son in Hawaii” but “shall not be released except into [his] custody.” Her bond had been set at $50,000.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
On Sept. 11, Dennis Recker was brought to Preston Health Center at the Cypress in Hilton Head for treatment, according to Savannah, Georgia-based CBS affiliate WTOC. The following morning, a neighbor brought Harriett Recker to the facility, but when they arrived at her husband’s room, they noticed a chair was missing.
The third party went to retrieve another chair, but while exiting, they heard a loud noise. Rushing to the room, a staff member reportedly saw Harriett Recker holding a revolver and Dennis Recker “clutching his chest,” according to law enforcement. He appeared surprised, uttering, “She shot me.”
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a shooting at the facility. When authorities arrived, they found that Dennis Recker had been shot. Harriett Recker was there too, “alongside her spouse,” as Law&Crime previously reported.
The victim was given emergency medical care at the facility, but he later succumbed to his injuries, deputies said.
During a court appearance last month, authorities outlined why they believed the shooting was premeditated.
Financial documents, as well as interviews with witnesses and family members, helped investigators form their theory — but it was the discovery of notes that may have been the breakthrough, the local TV station reported.
“To you all, this has just been too much for me; I so wish I could do it with the wonderful family we have, so many good friends,” Harriett Recker reportedly wrote. “He can’t have a life without someone, and that someone can’t be me as I am just not strong enough or smart enough to do all this.”
This note was in her purse, an identical one was at her home, and a similar one was sent to her neighbor, according to WTOC.
Law&Crime has reached out to Beaufort County officials to determine whether Harriett Recker’s son is also Dennis Recker’s son, or if this younger man is the child of a different man.
