74-year-old faces murder charge in husband’s death

Betty Sue Parton

Betty Sue Parton

About six months after a 76-year-old Cherokee County man was found dead at home after what was thought to be a fall, his wife has been charged in connection with his death.

Authorities on Tuesday arrested David Parton’s wife, 74-year-old Betty Sue Parton, at her Ball Ground home, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jay Baker said.

She is charged with felony murder, elder abuse, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery, Baker said Wednesday.

“An unknown object was used as a deadly weapon,” he told AJC.com.

The situation began April 1, when deputies responded to a person down call in the 3000 block of Ball Ground Road. They found the husband dead.

“Parton’s wife reported her husband had fallen and hit his head,” Baker said. David Parton “Parton had injuries consistent with a fall.”

However, in July, the county medical examiner contacted sheriff’s detectives about the death being suspicious, according to Baker. The medical examiner listed the manner of death as “homicide” and the cause of death as “blunt force trauma” on the autopsy report.

Detectives searched the home in September before arresting the wife, Baker said. She is in custody without bond in the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

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