GAINESVILE, Ga. – The two sons of a Georgia man deputies say was shot and killed by his partner in their home have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her.
According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Suzanne Renee Mericle, 61, is accused of shooting James David Barron, 68, with a handgun inside their home on Bayridge Drive off C. Rogers Road in Gainesville, Georgia.
Mericle owned a dentistry office, Mericle Dentistry, in St. Simons Island.
Hall County deputies said they responded to the home around 1:15 a.m. on March 8 and found Barron unresponsive in a bedroom, with a gunshot wound to his torso.
The lawsuit by Barron’s sons accuses Mericle of shooting Barron through the locked bedroom door during an argument.
Deputies said Mericle was at the home when they arrived.
First responders took Barron to a nearby hospital where he died, according to the sheriff’s office.
Barron’s sons are now suing Mericle for his lost wages, punitive damages and court costs.
Mericle is now charged with felony murder, aggravated assault under the Family Violence Act and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
She remains in jail without bond.