Recordings reveal domestic problems between murdered Hilton Head woman and her partner
Conversations between Brenda Carman, the Hilton Head woman who was murdered in August, and her longtime partner, Michael Wilson, who died by suicide last week, show the couple apparently were having domestic problems.
“Do we need lawyers or are we going to make it amicable?” Carman asked in one of two cellphone recordings obtained by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office announced last week that Wilson, 66, was their only suspect in the disappearance and murder of Carman, 61.
Wilson was never charged.
The two were not married but had been together about 20 years and owned a house in the gated community of Indigo Run, which was valued at $625,000.
In the recordings, Carman asked Wilson to detail a night when he allegedly spit in her face and threw her to the ground.
“I never hit you,” Wilson said in the recording.
“Oh, you never took your fist and hit me, no, but you put your knee in my throat,” Carman replied.
At one point, Carman is heard to say, “I can’t go with this ‘how many beers is that?’ I can’t go with you beating my head on the floor, can’t go with you spitting in my face, I can’t do it, I can’t.”
Wilson went on in the recordings to claim that Carman had scratched his neck. She maintained she only did so in reaction to him spitting in her face. The next thing Carman said she remembered was being thrown to the ground hard enough to cause bruising.
The recordings also revealed the two arguing over Carman texting a friend who Wilson claimed was “coming between” them.
A letter to Wilson from Carman’s attorney in July 2022 shows the two had already begun the process of separating their assets, including their home in Indigo Run. The letter was obtained by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
As of Monday, no suicide note or confession had been found in the home. Police have “eliminated any other person” who could have contributed to Carman’s death, said Maj. Angela Viens, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman.
An official cause of death for Carman is still under investigation, Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said Monday.
The investigation “will continue until there’s a resolution,” Viens said. “Just because he died, we don’t stop working. We owe it to her family to find out who is responsible.”
Background of the case
Carman was last seen at work on Aug. 9, the same day she had visited her attorney’s office where she was making plans to officially separate from Wilson, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
On Aug. 22, after calls from friends and family had gone unanswered, Carman’s brother reported her missing. Wilson never reported her missing and had not tried to call Carman’s phone since she went missing, Viens said.
On Sept. 9, Carman’s car was found in the parking lot of a, island Walmart just a nine-minute drive from where she worked in the deli section at the south end Publix.
On Nov. 14, police had been searching for Carman when they found skeletal remains in the Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve in Bluffton. Two days later, an autopsy and dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Carman, and that she had died by homicide. Investigators were able to determine that Carman’s body had been at the preserve since at least Aug. 10, Viens said.
On Dec. 1, Wilson died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Viens said. A family member called police to the home around 2:30 p.m. after finding Wilson. Emergency responders were unable to revive him. An autopsy was completed that confirmed Wilson died by suicide from a gunshot wound, Ott said.
‘Nobody should ‘have that happen’
In the days following the announcement that the remains found in the woods belonged to Carman, her friend of more than two decades, Stephanie Bellville-Hayes, said she was angry.
“I’m OK, tons of anger because nobody [should] have that happen to them,” Bellville-Hayes said via text message to the Island Packet. “[I’m] still trying to process and wrap my head around it.”
On Nov. 30, before Wilson’s death, Bellville-Hayes said she was praying for answers.
“We watch TV and see things just like this and think, ‘how horrible it must be for family and friends,’” she said. “I never would have dreamed that I would ever be close to someone that it happened to.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence, help can be found at Hopeful Horizons by calling their 24-hour support line at 843-770-1070.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy did we do this story?
Per policy, the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette do not report on suicides or suicide attempts unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as the incident involves a public figure or occurs in a public place. In the case of this story, the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette felt the incident was newsworthy and the information should be made accessible to community members.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette generally do not identify individuals who attempt suicide or die by suicide unless they are a public figure.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette maintain conscientious standards when reporting on public health issues like suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention 24-hour Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or text HOME to 741741.
This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 3:26 PM.
