North Carolina Man Pleads Not Guilty to Murder and Fraud Charges

A man from North Carolina, accused of poisoning his wife with eye drops back in 2018, has entered a not guilty plea to new charges after prosecutors claimed he staged her kidnapping.

Joshua Hunsucker, 41, who was previously a paramedic, is alleged to have methodically murdered his wife, Stacey Robinson Hunsucker, by using eye drops containing tetrahydrozoline. Reportedly, this was part of a scheme for him to collect a $250,000 insurance payout. Hunsucker appeared in Gaston County court quietly while his defense attorney formally pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and obtaining property under false pretenses.

Prosecutors assert that Hunsucker administered eye drops in Stacey’s drinks over a long period, resulting in her death at their home in Mount Holly. Initially, he told friends and family that she had died from a heart attack in September 2018 and sought compensation from her life insurance. However, concerns arose after her mother noted Hunsucker’s apparent indifference following Stacey’s death; he even moved in with his girlfriend shortly thereafter.

Remarkably, prosecutors claim they have evidence linking Hunsucker to the crime through a blood sample taken at the hospital, due to Stacey’s status as an organ donor.

Following his arrest in December 2019, he was released on $1.5 million bail. While awaiting trial, he allegedly concocted a scheme to stage his own kidnapping while out of the country in 2023, even claiming that he had been injected with an unknown substance by his deceased wife’s parents.

Now, Hunsucker faces additional charges related to an attempt to poison his 10-year-old daughter with the same substance. Prosecutors sought to revoke his bail after these new allegations, but the judge allowed him to remain free. Hunsucker has requested the trial to be moved outside Gaston County, citing extensive media attention; however, a new date for the murder trial is yet to be set.