In the summer of 2014, a domestic dispute in a quiet Sandy Springs, Georgia, neighborhood ended in a tragic murder-suicide. Sharon M. Wilkins, a 54-year-old woman, had recently moved into her mother's home on Chaparral Drive to escape her estranged husband. This move, however, did not provide the safety she sought. On the morning of August 13, 2014, her estranged husband, 65-year-old Dan Wilkins, arrived at the residence.
Shortly after his arrival, Sharon's mother placed a harrowing 911 call, reporting that her daughter had been shot multiple times and that the shooter was still in the house. When Sandy Springs police officers arrived at the scene, they heard another gunshot. Inside the home, they discovered Sharon Wilkins critically wounded and Dan Wilkins deceased from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Sharon was rushed to North Fulton Hospital, but she ultimately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the events leading up to the fatal encounter revealed a history of domestic turmoil. Court records indicated that Sharon had recently sought and obtained a temporary protective order against her husband due to domestic violence. A court hearing for the couple was scheduled for August 22, just days after the shooting. Friends and neighbors were shocked by the violent end to the couple's relationship, describing Sharon as a kind and caring person. The couple had a young daughter who was at school at the time of the incident and was later cared for by family members.
