WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Newberry officers find man dead and his wife in serious condition

Newberry officers find man dead and his wife in serious condition

(Newberry County) January 26, 2007 - A woman called 911 Friday night saying her husband had attacked her, and that she had shot him.

The Newberry County Sheriff's Office was called to a residence on Pine Hill Circle just outside the City of Newberry at about 8:40pm Friday night.

Officers say the woman, Cynthia D. Franklin, 59, had significant wounds to her head, face, and upper body.

The man, 63-year-old Dennis Alvin Franklin, was dead. He had been shot twice with a pistol.

According to Major Todd Johnson of the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, there are obvious signs of a violent struggle in the home, and it appears that Mrs. Franklin was struck multiple times with a large stick.

Mrs. Franklin told authorities that she was trying to get away from her husband and that she made it to the bedroom where the pistol was kept. It was there that she told police that she shot him as he continued to try to attack her.

Mrs. Franklin was airlifted to Palmetto Richland Hospital. As of Friday night, her condition is listed as serious.

Sheriff Lee Foster said that the Sheriff's Office had already contacted Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace and that the two agencies would work closely together to review the facts and evidence in the case to determine what action should be taken.

Sheriff Foster said that part of the ongoing investigation would be to determine any history of domestic violence in the home.

Posted 11:42pm by Chantelle Janelle