Woman arrested for husband’s murder after claiming blood on gun was from rabbits

Melissa Johnson-Fausett claims she killed her husband in self-defence

(Screengrab/KSTU)

A woman who was booked for homicide after her husband was found shot dead at their home in Utah told the police that blood found on a handgun in her purse was that of a rabbit.

Melissa Johnson-Fausett, 56, is a suspect in the death of her husband Corry Fausett, the Provo Police Department said.

“After interviewing the suspect, Melissa Johnson-Fausett, investigators booked Johnson-Fausett into the Utah County Jail on one charge of Homicide. There are no other suspects in this incident, nor is there any threat to the community,” the police said in a social media post.

Police found a gun in Ms Johnson-Fausett’s purse with a blood spatter on the front of it after they obtained a warrant and searched the couple’s house, according to Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU which cited the arrest report.

“Melissa said that the blood was from shooting rabbits in the desert at close range,” the report states.

However, on testing, the police found the blood to be of human origin.

The woman claimed that she killed her husband in self-defence after she believed that he was going to get a gun and shoot her, according to KSTU.

She said her husband grabbed her by her neck and hit her in the head while she lay in bed and he threatened to kill her, KSTU said, according to the arrest report. She said she grabbed her gun from beside the bed at that point and shot him.

Police found four bullet wounds on his body, including one on the back of his head and two on the left side. One gunshot wound on his face had burn injuries, indicating it was fired at a close range, KSTU said, quoting court documents.

"After falling to the ground, there was no evidence of him moving to indicate that he was a threat to Melissa’s safety. The evidence obtained at the scene conflicted with the statements made by Melissa," the court report said.

Ms Johnson-Fausett was taken to the hospital for evaluation of her claimed injury on the head. But doctors found no evidence of an injury, the report said.

Police concluded that she "intentionally or knowingly caused the death of her husband and was no longer acting in self-defense”.

She is being held in the Utah County Jail without bail and charged with one first-degree felony of murder.