North Carolina man accused of killing wife with eye drops

Authorities in North Carolina say a man who worked as a paramedic is accused of using eye drops to kill his wife last year.

Joshua Lee Hunsucker, 35, of Mount Holly, was arrested Thursday in the Sept. 23, 2018 killing of Stacy Robinson Hunsucker, 32, the North Carolina Department of Insurance said in a statement. Hunsucker faces charges of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors said at a preliminary hearing Friday that Stacy Hunsucker's body contained a suspicious amount of an active ingredient that is found in eye-drop medication, which can cause heart failure when ingested in large quantities, according to NBC affiliate WCNC in Charlotte.

Jordan Green, an attorney for the North Carolina Department of Insurance, said at the hearing that after Stacy Hunsucker's blood tested positive for a chemical found in eye drops, investigators interrogated Joshua Hunsucker. Green said he gave investigators enough information for them to arrest him, WCNC reported.

"I don't know that he would characterize it as a confession, but it certainly approached that level," Green said in court.

Joshua Hunsucker's attorney, David Teddy, declined to comment on the case to NBC News Monday. He said in court Friday that he anticipates the case will be "strenuously opposed." Teddy said his client is a lead paramedic with Atrium Health and has no criminal record. He also said Joshua Hunsucker has been placed on administrative leave while it investigates potential misconduct.

Barry White, assistant director of public affairs for the North Carolina Office of Insurance, told NBC News Monday that Stacy Hunsucker's death was tied to a $250,000 life insurance payout.

White said the agency began investigating Stacy Hunsucker's death after they were alerted about two life insurance policies, one for $50,000 and another for $200,000, by her mother who was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her daughter's death. Joshua Hunsucker would not allow for an autopsy prior to his wife's cremation, according to the Shelby Star.

Stacy Hunsucker was a mother of two and worked at a preschool in Charlotte, according to her obituary.

State officials said they began investigating an allegation of a fraudulent claim involving a life insurance policy in May. The Gaston County Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations assisted in the investigation.

Hunsucker is being held at Gaston County Jail on $1.5 million bond.