Photo: Nathaniel Freeman
A Stone County man, 54-year-old Nathaniel Freeman, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the September shooting death of his wife, 46-year-old Dora Freeman. Nathaniel Freeman also sustained a gunshot wound in the incident and was flown to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock for treatment.
WhiteRiverNow.com reports according to law enforcement, Nathaniel Freeman reported the shooting in a call to authorities but did not indicate he had shot and killed his wife.
According to the affidavit of probable cause for arrest, Freeman called from the residence along Lee Hill Road in Onia on the afternoon of Sept. 23.
He did not state the reason for the call, and the dispatcher believed the caller to be intoxicated. The male subject made a second call 19 minutes later and reportedly said, “She shot me.”
When authorities reached the residence, they found Nathaniel Freeman on the kitchen floor with an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen. The deceased Dora Freeman was on the floor next to her husband, with a .22 caliber revolver in her right hand.
The Stone County Sheriff’s Department asked for the Arkansas State Police to investigate the case.
The State Medical Examiner in Little Rock says Dora Freeman died from a gunshot wound to the left rear of her head — to the rear of the left ear. The examiner says the round from the .22 handgun killing Dora Freeman was not fired at a close range.
The medical examiner determined the death of Dora Freeman was a homicide, adding she would not have been able to manipulate the revolver after being shot in the brain. The examiner also says the location of the wound and the trajectory of the bullet were inconsistent with the revolver being in Dora Freeman’s right hand, indicating it could have been placed there, according to the affidavit.
Court records note witnesses in the case told investigators Dora Freeman was planning to tell her husband she was leaving him that day. She had been making plans for an alternate place to live.
Investigators say Nathaniel Freeman made prior statements if Dora left him, it would be over his or her dead body.
In an interview Sept. 30, State Police investigators met with Nathaniel Freeman at his brother’s residence. He allegedly told investigators his wife came home the day of the shooting, and the two had little to no conversation.
He said after his wife was home for a short time, she walked into the master bedroom and retrieved the .22 caliber revolver. He said she came into the kitchen, and without saying anything, shot him in the stomach. He said the revolver was in her right hand when she shot him.
He said he passed out, and when he awoke, he saw her on the kitchen floor. He said he did not know she was dead and did not see the gun in her hand. He told investigators he did not touch or fire the weapon. Nathaniel Freeman also told investigators he was drunk that day. He denied Dora told him that day she was leaving him.
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