Wife charged with killing husband

Holts Summit woman arrested during interrogation

Paul Plunkett
Paul Plunkett

Sandra Plunkett, 37, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the New Year's Day shooting death of her husband, retired Jefferson City police officer Paul Plunkett.

At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, officer Marc Haycook said "Unfortunately, in this investigation, all leads pointed to Mrs. Plunkett as being the suspect." He said his department, with help from area agencies, tracked down 60 leads from the public.

Haycook didn't offer a motive for the killing or say what specific evidence led to the arrest.

He said she was arrested while she was being interrogated today.

Haycook said he didn't believe she has an attorney yet. "Right now she's being cooperative," he said. "While she's cooperative, we'd like to get as much information as we can."

Plunkett was a retired Jefferson City police officer who worked for the department from 1989 to 2008. His duties there ranged from being on the SWAT team to the Community Policing Team. At the time of his death, he operated Bias Pest Control Co. from his home at 283 Major Terrace.

Sandra Plunkett reported at 12:49 p.m. on Saturday that her husband had been shot inside their home. She initially told police that she was outside the home when she saw a man in camouflage with a gun walking down the street. She said she entered her home and found her husband on the floor, shot in the back of the head.

Holts Summit police tried to reassure area residents that they're safe. "Her initial statement was to cover her tracks," Haycook said.

Mrs. Plunkett is being held in the Callaway County Jail. A bond amount had not been determined Tuesday night.

He said an autopsy was performed in Boone County, but the results aren't yet available.

Haycook led the news conference, with members of assisting law enforcement agencies behind him, including the Missouri Highway Patrol, Jefferson City Police Department and Callaway County Sheriff's Department.

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