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Slaying studied, husband held
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
INVERNESS -- No suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of Debra Sue Owens, but authorities are focusing their investigation on her husband, Gerald, according to a court document. In an Oct. 4 letter to Circuit Judge Ric A. Howard, Citrus County Sheriff's Detective Eric Barnhart asked that Gerald Owens be kept in jail without bail on an unrelated charge because "it is believed at this time that the defendant is responsible for the murder and that he poses a real and credible threat to the public." The body of Debra Sue Owens was found by hikers in the Withlacoochee State Forest about 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28. An autopsy showed the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Court records indicated the couple had a relationship marked by violence and that Debra Sue Owens accused her husband of violating a restraining order a few days before she died. Debra Sue Owens also lived at a shelter for battered women at the time of her death. Gerald Owens' attorney, Charles Vaughn, said his client has been asked repeatedly for a statement by detectives. Vaughn has advised him not to speak to authorities. Vaughn said deputies may be limiting their investigation by focusing primarily on his client. "I believe, because of the lifestyle of Debra Sue Owens, there could be a multitude of suspects that could be involved," he said. According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records, Debra Owens has a lengthy history of arrests, including several convictions for possession of drugs. "If the Sheriff's Office has enough evidence to arrest my client and they're confident they can make a case, then they need to make an arrest," Vaughn said. Gerald Owens is being held without bail at the Citrus County jail for violating probation on a charge of domestic battery. On Oct. 4, the Sheriff's Office searched the house he shared with Debra Owens, hoping to find any clues that would shed light on the killing. Gail Tierney, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said the history of domestic violence between Debra Owens and her husband made him an obvious suspect. But despite Barnhart's note to the judge, Gerald Owens is not the only person questioned in the investigation. "Detectives have been extremely careful not to have tunnel vision and they are exploring all possible suspects and all possible scenarios," Tierney said. Gerald Owens has a long history of drug abuse and violence, according to FDLE records. He has been arrested 24 times since 1968, the arrests including multiple charges of battery and possession of drugs, documents showed. Debra Sue Owens twice requested restraining orders against her husband and said he threatened her life when she wanted to end their one-year marriage. "I asked him for a divorce and he told me never, he'd kill me first, then he'd know where I was at and no one else would be with me," Debra Owens wrote in a document filed at the Citrus County courthouse the morning of Sept. 25, two days before her mother, Sue Wightman, reported her missing. In a telephone interview Thursday, Wightman said she is not surprised authorities are paying special interest to her daughter's husband. "If somebody offered me a million dollars to say he didn't do it, I couldn't take it," she said. It has been difficult to be patient as she waits for an arrest, but Wightman said she has full confidence in the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. "Between them and the good Lord, we're going to see the devil get his due," she said. -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com .
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