MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A woman accused of shooting a man multiple times has been arrested and charged with his murder, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office says.
Neely Petrie-Blanchard was arrested Monday at 7:30 a.m. in Lowndes County Georgia. Authorities say that’s where she ran off to after she killed 50-year-old Christopher Hallet in a home in Ocala.
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Detectives say they got to the home on Southwest 34th Court Sunday around 9 p.m. They said they found witnesses at the home, including a child hiding in a back room. Once entering the home, that’s when they saw Hallet dead on the kitchen floor with multiple gunshot wounds, a sheriff’s office report says. Deputies say it seems Hallet died from multiple shots in the back.
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As investigators canvassed the area they found several shell casings in the living room and on the kitchen floors. Authorities note in the incident report that an “apparent projectile” was found on the floor near the front door of the home.
A witness told deputies she was in her room with her daughter when she heard a loud noise that she thought was a firecracker, then heard a second shot, the report reads. When she came out of the living room she saw Hallet in the kitchen with “a pained look on his face” as Petrie-Blanchard was holding what looked like a black pistol.
As Petrie-Blanchard realized the witness was in living the room, she turned around and aimed the gun at the witness and her daughter. The mother grabbed her daughter and ran to the other side of the home. The witness said she heard additional shots and called 911.
Detectives spoke to the witness' daughter who corroborated the story, saying she saw Hallet holding his shoulder in pain saying “Oh God, please, no,” according to the report. She said when her mother rushed her away from the scene she heard Petrie-Blanchard say something to the effect of “you’re hurting my children, you bastard,” as she heard more gunfire.
Investigators say additional witness testimony leads them to believe that Petrie-Blanchard thought Hallet was working to keep her children away from her.
The Sheriff’s Office sent out a nationwide bulletin in search of Petrie-Blanchard. On Monday, law enforcement in Lowndes County, Georgia found her at a gas station. She is currently in custody at the Lowndes County Jail waiting to be transferred to Marion County.