Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Brevard, FL: Brevard woman may get 15 years for killing boyfriend

BY JOHN A. TORRES
FLORIDA TODAY

A woman who killed her boyfriend more than four years ago and coerced her son into helping get rid of the body is expected to be sentenced to 15 years in prison this morning.

Mary Morgan Mallory, a former Brevard elementary school nurse and phlebotomist with the county health department, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November.

Mallory shot Nollie Harry Moore, who was 51, with a .357 caliber revolver and then had friend Charles Duttenhaver and her son Christopher Mallory help her dispose of the body, burying Moore's remains off Power Line Road in Micco and covering the grave with debris.

Originally charged with murder, Mallory faced the prospect of life in prison.

Moore also was known as J. Charles Keller, the same name as an uncle who died when Moore was a teen.

Court records indicate Moore had a long history of run-ins with the police, including drug charges, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer.

At the time of his death, there was an active warrant for his arrest stemming from failure to appear to answer to drug charges.

He was missing for 18 months and agents said Mary Mallory told people that he was on the lam.

Investigators were initially tipped off by Mallory's son.

"He said he had helped his mother under duress and that it was the right thing to do," said Sgt. Carlos Reyes with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Reyes said that Christopher Mallory said he was threatened by Duttenhaver not to say anything.

But a few months after the shooting, Duttenhaver overdosed and died. Reyes said Mary Mallory had given him a motorcycle for his part in hiding the body.

"She eventually admitted shooting him, saying that he was abusive," Reyes said. "I don't know if there was any credibility to that."

Assistant State Attorney Susan Stewart said she was pleased with the plea in light of witnesses who likely would have been called during trial -- including another of Moore's former girlfriend's who claims he had battered her, as well.

"(Mallory) is being held accountable," Stewart said.

"And I hope it encourages other victims of domestic violence to come forward sooner, before it escalates to this."

After discovering the body, agents executed a search warrant on the home Mallory shared with Moore and recovered the gun and spent shell casing suspected in the death.

Mallory worked as a school nurse at Fairglen Elementary in Cocoa until officials learned about an assault charge she was facing.

The state attorney's office eventually dropped the case. School nurses are hired by the health department and not the district.

She had been reassigned to her phlebotomist position within the department.

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