A North Carolina woman claimed she accidentally shot her boyfriend while cleaning a shotgun, but authorities have charged her with murder after learning the victim was shot multiple times.
Megan Thomas, 39, shot and killed her boyfriend Jason Olney, 41, of North Wilkesboro, at her residence in Moravian Falls - which is about 80 miles north of Charlotte - on Tuesday morning, according to court documents filed by the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
According to records obtained by the Wilkes Journal-Patriot, deputies with the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office responded to the residence at 5 a.m. on Feb. 17 after Thomas called police herself, saying she accidentally shot her boyfriend while cleaning her shotgun.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found Olney dead at the scene suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. A neighbor also reported hearing at least three shots being fired, according to police.
"Based on the available information, taking into account the nature and circumstances of the offense charged, the weight of the evidence against the defendant ... there is rebuttable presumption against pretrial release," the order says, describing the shooting of Olney as a "violent offense," per the document.
"The defendant does not have family ties to the area, is currently unemployed [and] does not have current financial resources," the document adds. "It is not known about mental conditions; has no prior criminal history."
Thomas is due to appear in Wilkes County District Court on Wednesday.
