Alabama woman shot and killed husband who was sitting alone watching TV because she was annoyed with him for bothering her

An Alabama woman has been arrested after authorities say she shot and killed her husband while he was sitting alone in the living room watching television.

Sheri Mitchell-Clutts, 65, has been charged with the murder of a family member using a gun while in the commission of domestic violence, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. The fatal shooting took place Sunday evening at the couple’s home on Duncan Creek Road in Russellville, a small town located about 20 miles south of Muscle Shoals.

The victim was identified as 69-year-old Timothy Clutts. Authorities said Mitchell-Clutts called 911 herself shortly before 7:30 p.m. and told dispatchers that she had shot her husband.

When deputies arrived at the residence, they found Timothy Clutts dead in a recliner in the living room. Officials said he had suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest. The handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was later found resting on top of a cooler inside the home.

Mitchell-Clutts admitted to firing the fatal shot when questioned by investigators. However, authorities said she gave two different versions of what happened before the shooting, according to a report by Huntsville-based WHNT.

Investigators said Mitchell-Clutts first claimed she had felt threatened throughout the day. She reportedly told authorities that her husband’s actions felt threatening while he was checking on her as she recovered from a recent heart surgery.

“Her demeanor seemed obviously upset from what little interaction I had with her at the scene, but you never know what’s going through somebody’s mind,” Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.

Authorities said Mitchell-Clutts had undergone open-heart surgery about two weeks earlier. She allegedly told investigators that her husband kept entering her room and bothering her, prompting her to get her gun in case he returned. However, officials said Timothy Clutts instead went into the living room to watch television.

When he did not come back to her room, Mitchell-Clutts allegedly went to the living room, found him sitting in the chair, and fired one round, according to the sheriff’s office.

Oliver said the case stood out because Mitchell-Clutts did not attempt to flee and appeared direct with investigators about her involvement.

“There’s a number of cases where someone does something like this,” Oliver continued. “You’re actually having to track them down and find them and build evidence based on the scene. And in this situation she was pretty open. Which, you know, leads us to a bunch of questions, you know, what might have been going on with her.”

Authorities are now reviewing the couple’s history as part of the investigation. So far, Oliver said, investigators have not found a record of domestic violence calls at the home.

“We’re going through those at the time but as of right now we’ve gotten the call log and went back six years,” Oliver explained. “At this point, that we can find, there’s no domestic-related calls there.”

Mitchell-Clutts is being held in the Franklin County Jail without bond, records show.