After a nine-month investigation, a HolmesCountywoman has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend.
According to the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, on June 17, 2013, a call was placed to 911 from Hazel Denise Peacock. Peacock told dispatchers that her live in boyfriend, Tony Ray Armstrong, had fallen down the front steps of their trailer in the Esto community and landed on his knife. Holmes County deputies, along with Holmes County EMS, responded and found Armstrong in the front yard with a severe knife wound to his chest.
Armstrong was transported to Flowers Hospital in Dothan and underwent emergency surgery. He never regained consciousness and passed away from complications a few days later.
Investigators noted several inconsistencies in Peacock’s statement and discovered signs of drug use at the residence. Investigators were later able to locate a 911 call from Armstrong’s cellphone that had been routed to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in which the victim stated he had been “stabbed in the neck.” Investigators were also able to locate witnesses that indicate Peacock and Armstrong had been arguing that morning and he was stabbed as a result of the altercation.
A warrant was issued for manslaughter and Peacock is currently serving a sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections for neglect of a child which stemmed from the incident.
She made her appearance in court Thursday on manslaughter charges.