Man, 94, Slays Wife in Argument Over Money, Police Say

A 94-year-old Santa Ana man fatally shot his wife of 55 years in their home Thursday morning because he thought she was stealing his money, authorities said.

Police said retired barber Edward Harrell shot his wife, Connie, 88, in the face and left arm with a .38-caliber revolver at 7:30 a.m. He had accused her of taking money from his trunk containing $12,500 in savings, sparking an argument, police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas said.

Harrell went into another room, then returned with the gun and shot her, Thomas said. The trunk was hidden in a den closet.

‘Done Something Bad’

Catalina Serrato, who lives across the street in the 1400 block of West 2nd Street, said she was incredulous when the Harrells’ housekeeper ran crying from the house to call the police from Serrato’s home.

Neighbor Martina Dominguez, 14, said Harrell came out and told her friend Ralph Hernandez, 19, that “he had done something bad, that he had just killed his wife.

“He asked Ralph to go back and see if she was really dead,” she said, but the police had already arrived at the Harrell home.

They found Harrell standing in front of the home with the gun, and he offered no resistance when officers arrested him, Thomas said.

Harold Ross, 62, a 40-year friend, described Harrell as a very quiet man who enjoyed playing horses and kept guns in the house “just for protection.”

Harrell’s godson, Edward Tandy, 24, said burglary attempts have been made at the house several times. “All he did was stay to himself,” Tandy said.

“I didn’t believe (the shooting took place) because I didn’t think he could do something like that,” Tandy said. “They never quarreled.”

Tandy said Connie Harrell had been active in the neighborhood chapel, in community events and as an usher.

‘They Were So Old’

Serrato said relatives and church friends frequently visited the Harrells. She said her family sent the couple tamales every Christmas--and that the plates were returned with home-baked cakes.

The couple, originally from Arkansas, lived in Santa Ana for more than 30 years, according to great-great-niece Deborah Reeves of Long Beach. “They were so old ,” she said, expressing disbelief that he had been arrested for shooting his wife. She added that she had never seen them argue.

Harrell has been booked on suspicion of murder and is in custody at Orange County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, Thomas said.