A Pike County woman was in jail Monday for allegedly shooting and critically injuring her 50-year-old boyfriend, who told police he gave her the gun and said, “Do it.”

Deborah A. O’Connor, 50, of 1251 Pine Ridge, Bushkill, shot Willie Harper Jr. after an argument in his Lehman Twp. home Sunday morning, state police at Blooming Grove said. She was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Stephen McBride on Sunday and charged with aggravated assault and related offenses.

Ms. O’Connor remained in the Pike County Correctional Facility on Monday in lieu of $150,000 cash bail.

Mr. Harper suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, police said. He was taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, where he underwent surgery. Mr. Harper remained in critical condition Monday, police said.

Ms. O’Connor and Mr. Harper had been drinking in a bar and began to argue after returning to Mr. Harper’s house in the Pine Ridge development, a gated community, according to a police affidavit. Mr. Harper told police that Ms. O’Connor said she wished him dead.

Mr. Harper then retrieved a .22-caliber revolver, which he told police he found a week earlier on state Route 209, and tossed the gun to Ms. O’Connor. He told her if she wanted him dead, she should shoot him, according to the affidavit.

Ms. O’Connor threw the gun onto a bedroom floor, but Mr. Harper put it back in her hand and said, “You wished I was dead — here, do it,” according to the affidavit.

She fired a single shot and said, “Look what you made me do,” and fled the scene, according to the affidavit. She was arrested a few hours later.

The other charges Ms. O’Connor faces are recklessly endangering another person, possessing instruments of a crime, simple assault, and a felony count of discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure.

Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 9:30 a.m. in Pike County Court.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2008/10/07/news/sc_times_trib.20081007.a.pg4.tt07shooting_s1.1996066_loc.txt

I will not comment on the incident, her, him, or their relationship. I just found  out from my brother last night.

Update 1 10/15/2008

O'Connor on Tuesday waived her right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Stephen McBride in Dingmans Ferry. She will head to county court, where she can go to trial, plead guilty or plead no contest.


5November2008

I was told she did a plea bargain. She got 6 months for an assault with a deadly weapon. She will probably be out sooner if she keeps her shit straight. Her significant other is in a mental institution for ???? amount of time.

She did what she did.She had some rough relationships to include crazy  Vets who have been in and out of jail for stupid shit(PTSD).

I will end this by saying,"She would not hurt anyone unless they seriously meant to hurt her"

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Quoted: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

True.

Both ways.

Hope she comes out of this OK.

Why are there charges?  He asked her to do it....  It's his fucking life.  Can't he wish for someone to take it?

in early

Assisted suicide is illegal.

Wow.....


That sucks....

[Page 1 of epic thread......]

Sounds like a quality individual.

wow-----sorry man---iamgine if it was a 45

Were they smoking? If so, they had the redneck trifecta.

InterestinAg

Sadly there isn't an A in the word interesting.

She may beat that one with the right kind of lawyer.  If he had tossed her a .357 she'd be walking.  I seem to remember a case similar to that.

J.

Maybe some counseling might be in order for your sister and her boyfriend.

Reminds me of a story from Wisconsin a few years ago.  Man dares GF to shoot her daughter with a BB gun for $1.  Woman does it.

Mr. Harper then retrieved a .22-caliber revolver, which he told police he found a week earlier on state Route 209, and tossed the gun to Ms. O’Connor. He told her if she wanted him dead, she should shoot him, according to the affidavit. Ms. O’Connor threw the gun onto a bedroom floor, but Mr. Harper put it back in her hand and said, “You wished I was dead — here, do it,” according to the affidavit.

No bill.

page 1

Yikes.

You need to get a message to her:

DON'T ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS UNTIL SHE HAS AN ATTORNEY

Quoted: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Quoted: She may beat that one with the right kind of lawyer.  If he had tossed her a .357 she'd be walking.  I seem to remember a case similar to that. J.

If the boyfriend died, she'd be charged with murder. Her only hope for staying out of prison at this point is if the boyfriend testifies that he told her repeatably to shoot him and that he was serious when he said it. Even then, she will likley be found guilty.

I think that defense strategy is full of fail.

whoa

Quoted: Quoted: She may beat that one with the right kind of lawyer.  If he had tossed her a .357 she'd be walking.  I seem to remember a case similar to that. J. If the boyfriend died, she'd be charged with murder. Her only hope for staying out of prison at this point is if the boyfriend testifies that he told her repeatably to shoot him and that he was serious when he said it. Even then, she will likley be found guilty.

She needs to go with a "he shoved the gun in my hand and it went off with HIS hands still on it".

ouch.

Quoted: She needs to go with a "he shoved the gun in my hand and it went off with HIS hands still on it".

Too late. She failed "Never Talk To the Police 101".

Note to Self:

If you give wife a gun and say Shoot Me, SHE will do it!

Mr. Harper then retrieved a .22-caliber revolver, which he told police he found a week earlier on state Route 209

I've never found a gun....  Damn!  That guy's lucky

Quoted: I think that defense strategy is full of fail.

I agree. Let's hear the boyfriends side of the story. It's too late for the woman to claim self defense, so she's bascially fooked.

I wish you and your family luck.  Looks like some rough weather ahead.

Quoted: Quoted: She needs to go with a "he shoved the gun in my hand and it went off with HIS hands still on it". Too late. She failed "Never Talk To the Police 101".

No kidding.  Last night my 12 year old son and I were watching CSI.  I told him again and will repeat again throughout his juvenile life "don't talk to anyone without me present".  No matter what they say, no matter what they threaten don't say anything.  

Something my mom used to tell me when she caught me doing something dumb comes to mind.

"Just because someone told you to do it, doesn't mean you should".

A variation -

"If your friends were jumping off a high bridge, does that mean it's OK for you to do it too?"

I never find usable firearms on the side of the road.

That raises a red flag...  bet the .22 is stolen.

tagascribe

Quoted: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Mr. Harper then retrieved a .22-caliber revolver, which he told police he found a week earlier on state Route 209, and tossed the gun to Ms. O’Connor.

Guns there be for the finding?  I knew it not, and lo! mine collection suffereth for mine lack of knowledge thereof.

EDIT: I hath been beaten, even unto the punch.

HOLY SHIT!

Alcohol + Guns = dead people & prison
oh yeah Pg.1

Wow.

Don't drink and guns kids.

Quoted: tagascribe

Maybe she can claim entrapment?  

In for outcome

in on 1

Damn, sad and pathetic at the same time.

To the OP: I hope you are not going through too much physical/emotional stress in regards to this. Alcohol has never been the cause of wise decisions.

Quoted: Something my mom used to tell me when she caught me doing something dumb comes to mind. "Just because someone told you to do it, doesn't mean you should". A variation - "If your friends were jumping off a high bridge drinking koolaid, does that mean it's OK for you to do it too?"

Fixed.

Prayers sent to OP

6 billion folks on this planet, nothing suprises me anymore.

1/2 the idiots in this country are too stupid to do any research on nobama, why should this suprise me?

TXL

Self defense I say, he had a gun and she was in fear of her life.