PANAMA CITY — The trial of a disabled man who claimed he acted in self defense when he shot his wife and killed her lover began Monday with attorneys arguing Michael Joe McCoy succumbed to jealousy.
During the first day of the murder trial, attorneys diverged on the sequence of events at the time of the shooting and the amount of knowledge McCoy had of the ongoing romantic relationship. McCoy, 44, was charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder after an early February shooting outside his Fountain home left 46-year-old David Walker face down in a ditch and McCoy’s wife suffering two gunshot wounds.
McCoy has not denied firing the fatal shots.
His attorneys said the barrage of gunfire started out of self-preservation, and he first shot his wife accidentally as she stepped between the quarrelling men. He then shot her again when she lunged after him.
Prosecuting attorneys argued Walker was in the process of leaving when McCoy shot him four times and then leveled the 9-mm pistol on his wife, Susan McCoy. He then fired twice, walked inside and disassembled the firearm before calling police.
However, no other witnesses survived the melee to testify to the sequence of events.
Deputies were called to the home of Michael and Susan McCoy on Rhonda Road Feb. 5 at about 2:30 a.m. after Michael McCoy called 911 to report that he had shot his wife and Walker after he learned she had been having an affair with Walker.
Michael McCoy told investigators following the shooting that he initially armed himself with the intention of taking his own life, but his wife talked him out of it. He said he demanded Walker — who had been staying with the couple for a few days since his release from the Bay County Jail following a domestic battery arrest — leave their home. The two men began to argue before he shot Walker.
“Finally, Walker says ‘What do you want from me, I’m leaving;’ and when he turns to walk away, Michael McCoy shoots four times,” said prosecutor Larry Basford. “He then turned the gun toward his wife and proceeded to shoot her two times in the stomach.”
Defense attorney Kim Jewell argued that during the argument, Walker began to approach McCoy and threatened him before Susan McCoy stepped into the crossfire.
“Walker is aware of his (disabled) condition, as well, and he says: ‘What are you going to do?’” Jewell said. “… He’s within his rights to defend himself.”
Attorneys also disagreed on the amount of time Michael McCoy knew of the romantic relationship between Walker and Susan McCoy.
The trial continues Tuesday.