A North Carolina man accused of murdering his wife is now facing new charges for allegedly targeting his daughter. Gaston County Police recently arrested Joshua Lee Hunsucker and charged him with four counts of felony witness intimidation and four counts of misdemeanor obstruction of justice. Court documents reveal that Hunsucker allegedly intimidated his relatives and tried to poison his 11-year-old daughter.
The story began in 2018 when Hunsucker’s wife Stacy died from a suspected heart attack. Her autopsy revealed, however, that she had ingested “very high levels” of tetrahydrozoline – the active ingredient in eye drops. In 2019, Hunsucker was charged with his wife’s murder and detained on $1.5 million bail. He paid the bail and was released pending trial. Attorneys have now called for that bail to be revoked.
Prosecutors allege that a $250,000 insurance payout was the motive for Stacy Hunsucker’s murder, and the husband has faced other criminal charges while out on bail.
For instance, in 2021, prosecutors charged him with intentionally setting a fire onboard an Atrium Health helicopter during the course of his work as a paramedic. He also allegedly filed a false report in 2023, accusing in-law John Robinson of kidnapping him and injecting him with a toxic substance, but police found no evidence of the crime.
Special Prosecutor R. Jordan Green and District Attorney Travis G. Page, in their motion to revoke Hunsucker’s bail, stated that the suspect had used the same eye drops to attempt to poison his daughter. It alleges that the accused father administered the substance to his daughter in February 2023, and she received treatment at Caromont Hospital and Levine’s Children’s Hospital. The prosecutors claim that Hunsucker’s ultimate aim is to frame his in-laws, John and Susie Robinson, for his wife’s death and his daughter’s poisoning.
Defense attorneys have not commented on the case, but prosecutors say they believe his behavior will continue to slide downward and his “dangerous actions will continue to escalate.” The lawyers added that they are increasingly concerned about the welfare of the unnamed child and her grandparents.
Hunsucker maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty on all charges.
