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Husband suspected in woman's death

It appears a Tierra Verde man shot his wife, then himself, authorities say. He was hospitalized with critical injuries.

By NICHOLE JOHNSON
Published September 25, 2006

	Stacey Plummer is shown in 1996 performing with the Legal Limit band.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The 12-year-old daughter of a Tierra Verde couple came home Sunday and found her mother shot dead and her father gravely wounded.

Authorities said it appeared that Dermont Reid had shot his wife, lawyer and performer Stacey Plummer, and then shot himself.

A .38-caliber handgun was found near the husband, said Pinellas County sheriff's spokesman Mac McMullen.

Reid, 52, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

They said there was no indication Sunday what might have motivated the violence.

Deputies were summoned about 9:30 a.m. to the couple's home, 408 Eighth Ave. N, by Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services shortly after the couple's three children returned home and the 12-year-old discovered her parents.

The youngsters had spent the night with their grandparents. They were placed in family custody.

Neighbors in the quiet, upscale enclave described the couple as friendly and active.

They often went out to dinner together, leaving their three children home with a babysitter, said neighbor Tony December, who lives across the street from the family.

"They seemed to be very happy," said December, whose daughter babysat for Plummer and Reid. "Just like anyone else, no fighting, no screaming."

December said he exchanged greetings with Reid in the family's front yard earlier last week.

Plummer, 43, a divorce lawyer, married Reid in December 2005, according to records.

Reid, who neighbors said was unemployed and stayed home with the children, was married once before, according to records.

He divorced three days before marrying Plummer last year.

Plummer, a graduate of Eckerd College and the Stetson University College of Law, kept a law office in St. Petersburg, 2950 Fifth Ave. N.

During the 1990s, she sang with a rock band called Legal Limit.

[Last modified September 25, 2006, 00:23:15]