In the late afternoon of a Wednesday in February 2018, law enforcement and emergency services were dispatched to a residence on Norton Road near Kingston, Georgia, following a report of a shooting. Inside the home, they discovered the body of 83-year-old James 'Sam' McCoy, a male who had sustained a single, fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The initial investigation immediately focused on his wife, 58-year-old Kim McCoy, who was present at the home and was questioned by investigators. The couple had reportedly recently divorced.
Following the initial questioning, Kim McCoy was arrested and charged with the murder of her husband. She was subsequently booked into the Bartow County Jail and held without bond. As the legal process unfolded, the case against her grew to include charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The investigation remained active, with authorities suggesting at the time of her arrest that more charges could be possible.
During her trial, Kim McCoy did not deny shooting her former husband, but claimed it was an act of self-defense. Her defense argued that she was a victim of Battered Woman's Syndrome and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome resulting from years of alleged physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. However, the prosecution presented alternative motives, suggesting the shooting may have been fueled by anger over her eviction from the home following their second divorce, as well as alleged romantic feelings for another man. Issues within the marriage, including alcoholism, were also discussed during the proceedings.
In the fall of 2019, a jury found Kim Lori McCoy guilty of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Subsequently, a judge sentenced her to serve life in prison, with an additional five years to be served concurrently. The court also considered a request from her attorney for her to serve her sentence in a medical prison due to various health issues.
