In the spring of 2017, a long-standing family jewelry business in North Charleston, South Carolina, became the scene of a tragic and violent event. On the afternoon of April 14th, 74-year-old Doris Colucci was shot and killed inside Colucci's Jewelers on Rivers Avenue. The fatal incident was the culmination of escalating tensions within the family, which were well-known to employees of the store.
Doris died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The person responsible was her 80-year-old husband, Ivo Colucci. On that Friday afternoon, officers were called to the jewelry store and found Doris deceased. The shooting was reportedly witnessed by the couple's 12-year-old granddaughter. The entire tragic event was captured by the store's surveillance cameras, which showed Ivo engaging in a verbal altercation with his wife before pulling a firearm from his pocket and shooting her in the back of the head. After the shooting, he reportedly hid the gun and pocketed the spent shell casing. When police arrived, witnesses outside were yelling, 'he shot her,' and Ivo himself exited the store, telling officers, 'I shot her and the gun's inside.'
Ivo Colucci was immediately taken into custody and charged with murder. In the wake of the shooting, it came to light that the couple had been experiencing significant turmoil. Employees reported frequent and intense arguments between Ivo and Doris concerning money, Ivo's declining mental health, and a separate murder case involving Doris's son, Michael Colucci. Ivo had reportedly been exhibiting angry outbursts and had even threatened violence against his wife in the past. His attorneys argued that due to dementia, he was not mentally competent to stand trial for his wife's murder. A judge ultimately agreed with this assessment, and Ivo Colucci never stood trial for the killing. He passed away on November 9, 2020. Following the tragedy, wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits were filed on behalf of Doris's estate and her granddaughter, which resulted in settlements totaling over a million dollars.
