UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County man was shot and killed in his home on Winding Way Drive in Monroe. His wife is now charged with murder.
Channel 9’s Glenn Counts spoke with the couple’s neighbors on Saturday.
Deputies got the call around 2:30 Friday afternoon. Investigators say it was the wife, 74-year-old Patty Griffin, who called them.
Neighbors thought of her as a wife and mother, and now they can add murder suspect to the list.
“Well you wouldn’t think it would happen this close to home,” said Mark Newman, who has lived in the neighborhood for years. “Well it’s quiet, everybody kind of knows everybody.”
When deputies arrived at the couple’s home in Monroe, they administered first aid to Dennis Griffin but unfortunately, they couldn’t save him.
Deputies say Mrs. Griffin told them she shot her husband in the shoulder. As it turned out, it was in the chest. Investigators also say she acknowledged having an argument prior to the shooting.
“It’s just absolutely mind blowing,” said Newman. “I just can’t fathom it over an argument.”
Neighbors told Channel 9 they would often see the couple riding the Mr. Griffin’s motorcycle and Mrs. Griffin walking her dog.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 74‑year‑old woman charged with 2nd‑degree murder in husband’s death ]
Newman says he moved in 23 years ago and that the Griffins were there before he arrived.
“It’s just a sad thing,” Newman said. “It’s a sad day here for everybody, then she has to spend her time, probably the rest of her time in jail.”
Mrs. Griffin has been charged with second-degree murder. She’s in the Union County Jail under no bond.
One neighbor told us he believed she suffered from dementia. Deputies have not said anything about that.