Thomasville, GA: Thomasville man charged in wife’s death

Patti Dozier, Thomasville Times-Enterprise
January 04, 2010 10:49 pm

— THOMASVILLE — A Thomasville resident who called a Thomas County Sheriff’s Office investigator early Monday morning told the lawman he had shot his wife.
The 12:30 a.m. caller, William Paul “Buck” McMullen, asked investigator David Godwin to come to his residence alone.
Godwin notified deputies, who met in the parking lot of a U.S. 84 bypass school to devise a tactical approach, an incident report shows. Deputies then went to McMullen’s residence, 32 Rebecca Lane off Old Cassidy Road.
McMullen, 43, stepped onto his front porch with a gun as Godwin got out of his vehicle.
“After some conversation, he put the weapon down,” said investigator Pascal Autrey.
McMullen told officers his wife, Tuwanna McMullen, 43, was on a sofa in the living room.
“He made the comment to officers that he shot her,” Autrey said.
On Monday morning, investigators had not established a motive for the shooting or a time of death.
“It appeared to be fairly recent,” Autrey explained, in reference to the time of death.
The incident report shows the firearm McMullen had when officers arrived was a Smith & Wesson revolver. He told a deputy it was the weapon he used to kill his wife, the incident report shows.
The woman had been shot once in the head. No one else was at the residence when lawmen arrived.
Autrey said several firearms were recovered from the house.
The sheriff’s office has not responded to previous domestic violence incidents at the McMullen residence, according to investigator Jason Carroll.
Godwin and the suspect were acquaintances, Autrey explained, adding that Godwin would not make a statement about the incident.
On Monday morning, a woman on Rebecca Lane who identified herself as a McMullen family member, said the family had no comment.
The body is to be transported to a state crime lab today for an autopsy. Investigators are awaiting a toxicology report.
“He (McMullen) had been drinking,” Autrey said.
The suspect, who requested a lawyer Monday, is to be arraigned today.

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