A South Carolina woman has been arrested after fatally shooting a man inside a Clayton County motel room and then telling her family about it, police said.
The body was discovered Tuesday morning after Clayton County deputies received a tip from the sheriff’s office in Dillon County, South Carolina. According to police, investigators in South Carolina learned that a man may have been killed at the Country Inn & Suites on Mt. Zion Parkway and asked the sheriff’s office to conduct a wellness check.
Deputies knocked on the door of the room about 6:20 a.m. but received no reply, Clayton County police spokesman Officer Darnell Brown said.
“A room key was retrieved from the front desk and the deputy opened the door, revealing a deceased victim sitting on the bed,” he said.
According to police, Dina Leach shot the man during an argument inside the room. After the shooting, Leach took the gun and returned to South Carolina, where she told two family members about the incident, Brown said.
Those family members then called the sheriff’s office, prompting the murder investigation that led to Leach’s arrest. Authorities have not released the victim’s name or said how he and Leach knew each other.
Clayton County detectives drove to South Carolina this week and interviewed the woman, who reportedly told them the two argued inside the motel room and that the gun accidentally fired during the struggle, Brown said.
Leach was arrested on one count of murder, but additional charges are pending, police said. It’s unclear how long it may take to extradite her to Clayton County.
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