A woman accused of shooting her boyfriend to death at a North Carolina home told a dispatcher that she accidentally shot him while she was cleaning her gun, according to authorities and news reports.
Megan Jane Thomas, 39, of Moravian Falls, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jason Olney, court records viewed by Luxury Handbag Shopping show.
A magistrate’s order obtained by Us states that Thomas “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Jason Olney.”
Information on Thomas’ legal representation was not listed in court records on Wednesday, February 18.
According to a news release from the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found Olney, 41, with multiple gunshot wounds when they responded to a home around 5:09 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17, WXII-TV reported.
Olney, a North Wilkesboro resident, ultimately died after first responders tried to help him, authorities said, according to the TV station.
Deputies went to the home after Thomas called 911 that morning to report that she had been cleaning her shotgun when the weapon went off and struck her boyfriend, according to court records reviewed by the Wilkes Journal-Patriot.
A local resident told authorities that they heard three shots ring out around the same time Thomas made the 911 call, court documents say, the newspaper reported.
Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office Major Logan Kerr confirmed to the newspaper that the “case is domestic in nature.”
A potential motive for the killing has not been specified by law enforcement.
Thomas was ordered held without bond, according to a release order issued on February 17.
The order, which notes Thomas is charged with a “violent offense,” says that “Based on the available information, taking into account the nature and circumstances of the offense charged; the weight of the evidence against the defendant; the defendant does not have family ties to the area, is currently employed” and “does not have current financial resources.”
The release order also says that Thomas does not have a previous criminal history, and that it is unknown whether she has potential mental health conditions.
Thomas’ first appearance hearing, which was initially scheduled for February 18, has been reset to February 20, according to court records.
If a person is found guilty of first-degree murder in North Carolina, they could be sentenced to life in prison without parole or sentenced to death, according to Amburgey Law, a criminal defense law firm based in Asheville.
Under North Carolina law, the firm reports that “First-degree murder is defined as a willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing,” meaning “the accused planned or intended to kill before the act occurred, even if only briefly.”
Moravian Falls, where the alleged murder occurred, is a community located near the state’s Brushy Mountains, about an 80-mile drive northwest from Charlotte. The town is home to a 35-foot waterfall and was named after its first settlers, the Moravian brothers.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
