Hilton Head murder suspect, 82, released after husband shot dead in care home
An 82-year-old woman accused of fatally shooting her husband inside a Hilton Head Island skilled care facility has been released on bond.
Harriett Kay Recker, of Sun City, was released from the Beaufort County jail Friday evening, nearly two months after her arrest.
Court records show Recker was granted a $50,000 bond the Wednesday prior, with conditions that she “may live with her son in Hawaii” and shall only be released to the custody of that 56-year-old son, who lives outside Honolulu.
Her husband, 81-year-old Dennis Recker, was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound the morning of Sept. 12 at the Preston Health Center, a 58-bed facility within the Hilton Head Plantation gated neighborhood. After hearing the gunshot, staff found Harriett next to her husband and holding a revolver. Investigators believe the shooting was premeditated as a type of “mercy killing.” Dennis Recker was admitted to the facility the day before for ongoing medical issues. Following the shooting, Harriett reportedly told police her husband was “a good man” and that this was a sad situation, according to court testimony in October.
Deputies also found a note in Harriett’s purse that read, in part, “this has just been too much for me.” It went on to say that she and Dennis “can’t have a life without someone and that someone can’t be me as I am not strong enough or smart enough to do all this,” according to reporting from WTOC 11.
Harriett Recker is charged with murder and a felony gun possession offense. Her next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Harriett’s public defender did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning.
