REPORT: Provo woman says she shot husband in self-defense
Support for victims and survivors of domestic violence is available 24/7: 1-800-897-LINK (5465). If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, please call 911 immediately.
PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — The Provo woman who allegedly shot and killed her husband on Saturday night, Jan. 6, claims she did so in self-defense. Provo investigators, however, claim evidence at the scene suggests otherwise.
According to court documents, Melissa John-Fausett, 56, had called police just before 8 p.m. on Saturday, reporting she had shot her husband after being attacked. First responders reported finding her husband’s body lying on the ground in the hallway near the entrance to her bedroom surrounded by blood.
During an interview, John-Fausett reportedly told police she was lying in bed when her husband came into her bedroom, grabbed her by the neck and began hitting her. She allegedly told officers that she grabbed her gun that was on her bed beside her and began shooting. John-Fausett allegedly continued to shoot at her husband as he attempted to leave the room because he had “threatened to kill her and she believed he was going to a different room to get a gun,” according to a police affidavit.
According to investigators with the Provo Police Department, they were able to recover two guns from the household. One gun was found on the bed, which John-Fausett allegedly admitted to using against her husband. Another gun was reportedly found in her purse, covered in blood. John-Fausett allegedly claimed the blood was from shooting rabbits at close range in the desert, however, police say the blood later tested positive as belonging to a human.
Investigators reported finding her husband’s body with four gunshot wounds as well as damage to the floor after moving the body, which they say indicates a downward shot from directly above. Investigators said there was no evidence of him trying to move after falling to the ground.
Investigators further reported that John-Fausett had been evaluated by paramedics at the scene and taken to Utah Valley Hospital where she was seen by doctors. Medical professionals said they found no injuries to John-Fausett’s head.
Canceled flights pile up as Alaska, United are stuck without their grounded Boeing jets
“[John-Fausett] stated post-Miranda that she shot her husband multiple times in self-defense; however, with the evidence found and collected at the house, it is believed that [she] intentionally or knowingly caused the death of her husband and was no longer acting in self-defense,” court documents state.
John-Fausett was booked by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office on one first-degree felony charge of murder. A Provo District Court Judge has ordered her to be held without bail, pending a preliminary hearing.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
