Dentist Accused of Shooting Her Partner to Death in Home in Upscale Georgia Neighborhood

A Georgia dentist is facing serious criminal charges after allegedly shooting her partner to death in a $1.6 million lakefront home, authorities say.

Suzanne Renee Mericle, 61, is charged with felony murder in connection with the shooting death of James David Barron, 68, of Gainesville, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The crime came to authorities’ attention at 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, when deputies were called to an upscale cul-de-sac lined with multi-million dollar homes on Lake Lenier.

Deputies found an unresponsive man, identified as Barron, in a bedroom. He had been shot in the torso.

He was rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville where he was pronounced dead.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office alleges in a statement that Mericle, 61, shot Barron with a handgun.

Mericle was at home when the deputies arrived.

Mericle was arrested and has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. 

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She was taken to the Hall County Jail where she remains held without bond, according to online jail records.

The case remains under investigation by the HCSO. It is unclear whether she has entered a plea or has retained an attorney who can speak on her behalf.

Mericle is a dentist who owns Mericle Dentistry on tony St. Simons Island, on the Georgia coast.

Her patients expressed shock at her arrest.

One woman, Betty Newman, wrote on the HCSO Facebook page, “She had to be living a double life. She is/was my kids dentist. Literally had a appointment this Monday the 10th. Wild!”