To view original article click here
Huntsville Real-Time News
Updated Mar 07, 2019; Posted Jun 27, 2016
By Crystal Bonvillian
Decatur police on Sunday arrested a woman for killing her husband, whose body was found when officers went to their home to perform a welfare check.
Michelle Lee Owens, 44, is charged with murder in the death of Lawrence Edward “Eddie” Owens II. She is being held in the Morgan County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
Decatur police officials report that Morgan County 911 dispatchers received a call from the couple’s home at 2907 Lennox Drive SW around 2:45 p.m. Sunday. Morgan County E911 Director Ryan Welty told the Decatur Daily that the call came from a child stating his mother had refused to let him inside their home.
The boy told dispatchers there were weapons in the residence and that his mother was mentally ill.
Officers were sent to the house to check on the residents, where police say they made contact with the boy and Owens. When they went inside the home, they found Eddie Owens’ body
Michelle Lee Owens (Morgan County Jail)
Eddie Owens, 44, had been shot at least once, according to the police department.
Court records show that his body was found in the master bathroom. He’d been shot with a .38-caliber handgun.
During the course of the investigation, evidence emerged allowing detectives to charge Michelle Owens with her husband’s murder.
Michelle and Eddie Owens’ Facebook pages portray a happy family life with their children. On Father’s Day, a week before the slaying, Michelle Owens wrote a note thanking her husband and telling him she loved him with all of her heart.
“You had to work today but I just want to say thank you for all you do for our family!! Happy Father’s Day!!” Owens wrote.
AL.com is not sharing the post because it contains photos that show the couple’s children.
In November, on the couple’s 20th anniversary, Eddie Owens also expressed his love for his wife.
“The most beautiful woman in the world. I’d be lost without you. And, I love you more than you will ever know,” he wrote.
To view original article click here
Decatur woman with psychiatric history deemed mentally competent in husband’s murder case — (AL.com)
A Decatur woman accused of fatally shooting her husband while their 7-year-old son was in the home has been declared mentally competent to stand trial.
Michelle Lee Owens, 44, was evaluated by Dr. Glen King, a licensed psychologist, court records show. King was designated by the Alabama Department of Mental Health to perform interviews with the suspect.
Based on King’s written report, Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson determined Owens’ case will proceed through the court system, according to an order.
“Based upon such review, the court concludes that no reasonable grounds exist to doubt the defendant’s mental competency to stand trial in this case,” Thompson wrote in court document.
Owens is charged with murder in the June 2016 shooting death of her husband, Lawrence “Eddie” Owens, 44. The man’s body was found in a bedroom at the family’s Lenox Drive home in Southwest Decatur.
“I’m – I just got home. And my mom, she’s been acting crazy these past couple of weeks because she’s been diagnosed with, uh – or with, um – what is it called? Some kind of disease that makes you think thoughts that really aren’t real,” the boy tells the dispatcher, according to a transcript of the 911 call.
He goes on to say that his mother has been acting “weird” and won’t let him come inside.
“And she’s telling me to leave and stuff. And my brother’s in there with her. And I heard him saying that he killed – she killed dad or something like that. And I’m really worried,” the boy says.
The dispatcher asks the teen if there are weapons in the home and he says that Michelle Owens had recently bought a gun.
“My mom purchased a pistol the other day, so she’s been carrying that around with her,” he says.
Police had been called to the couple’s house several times prior for domestic incidents, welfare checks and mental and emotional complaints, The Decatur Daily reported. Court records show that Eddie Owens did not have a criminal history in Alabama.
Michelle and Lawrence “Eddie” Owens II are pictured. Michelle Owens has been charged with murder in her husband’s shooting death.
Russell told The Daily Owens stayed at the hospital for a couple of days before being released back to jail on a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest by motor vehicle and a speeding citation.
Russell told The Daily the charges were dropped because there was no property damage, the offenses were misdemeanors and Owens had received medical treatment.