Iowa Woman Fatally Shoots Husband After He Threatened to Hurt Her Dog

An Iowa woman is charged with murder after shooting her husband earlier this week.

According to Cedar Falls police, officers responded to a home on Wednesday night to reports of a domestic dispute where someone had been shot.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found 72-year-old David Alan Charlton dead. His wife, 66-year-old Kimberly Ann Charlton, was taken into police custody at the scene.

Kimberly Told Investigators David Attempted to Assault Her but Her Dog Intervened

According to a criminal complaint obtained by WKYT, Kimberly Charlton told investigators that David Charlton had attempted to physically assault her while in a bedroom when the family dog stopped it.

Authorities said David Charlton then left the room, equipped himself with a walking cane and returned, threatening to hit the dog. He then followed the dog out the door of the room and down a hallway.

Kimberly Said She Shot David in the Back As He Was About to Hit the Dog

The complaint stated that as he was walking away from the room, Kimberly Charlton grabbed a gun from a Crown Royal bag and pointed it at his back. Kimberly Charlton told officers that she warned her husband that she was going to shoot him if he did not stop following the dog.

The 66-year-old admitted to pulling the trigger and shooting David Charlton in the back, police said. Kimberly Charlton has been charged with first-degree murder, a felony charge that comes with an automatic life sentence in Iowa if convicted.