Bail set at $100,000 for woman charged with shooting husband
Monday, September 10, 2007
By STEPHANIE RICE, Columbian Staff Writer
A Ridgefield woman in the center of a weekend shooting that played out like a country song made her first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Judge Barbara Johnson set bail at $100,000 for Sheryl J. Martin, whose husband of 30 years remains hospitalized from injuries sustained when she shot him four times with a 16-gauge double-barreled shotgun.
Martin, 51, had to reload after the first two shots.
Her husband may have to have a limb amputated, said Sgt. Tim Bieber of the Clark County Sheriff's Office.
Martin, 51, looked dazed during the brief hearing.
Defense attorney David McDonald, who made a courtesy appearance for Martin, said afterward that Martin will likely post bail and live with her parents in Longview pending trial.
According to a sheriff detective, Martin shot her husband, Eddie, also 51, after he told her he was having an affair and wanted a divorce.
They argued and the victim went to sleep in a camper parked outside a shop at their home.
"(Sheryl Martin) went into the house and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got," Detective Eric O'Dell wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
She found a shotgun in the shop, loaded it and went to the camper, O'Dell wrote.
She shot her husband as he was in bed, then went to the shop to reload before returning to fire again.
She called 911 and told a dispatcher what she'd done, O'Dell wrote.
Martin was arrested at her home, 29305 N.W. 51st Ave., at 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
She was booked on two counts of first-degree assault domestic violence, but Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michael Vaughn said in court Monday she may be charged with attempted murder.
McDonald, who said he does not know whether the family will be able to retain his services, told Judge Johnson that Martin has no prior criminal history and a "stellar reputation."
Her family, including two sons, attended the court hearing but did not speak to reporters.
Vaughn asked for $250,000 bail, while McDonald argued for $50,000.
If she posts bail, she will be under court order not to have contact with her husband or possess firearms, Johnson said.
