Boyfriend arrested in woman’s shooting death

By MICHELLE FRIEDRICH

Staff Writer

Authorities say the trajectory of the bullet that killed a Poplar Bluff woman and the evidence found at the scene do not match her boyfriend’s account of how she died Wednesday evening.

An autopsy performed by Dr. Russell Deidiker at Farmington showed Katrina Suiter died from a gunshot wound to her face, Butler County Coroner Andy Moore said. The 36-year-old’s boyfriend, Michael Joseph Choate, alleged she shot herself while waving a handgun during an argument. He has been arrested for her death.

“What Dr. Deidiker and I discussed at the autopsy (Thursday morning), the trajectory of the bullet does not match the suspect’s account of what happened,” Moore explained. “We agree that the wound does not appear to be self inflicted.”

Authorities learned of Suiter’s death just after 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“We received a call via 911 from a male subject (Choate) stating his girlfriend had been shot,” explained Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs.

Upon Cpl. Derek House’s arrival at the scene in the 1300 block of County Road 476, Dobbs said, he found Choate standing outside a fifth-wheel camper trailer, and Suiter on the couch inside the camper.

Suiter was the “apparent victim of a gunshot wound to the face and appeared to be lifeless,” said Dobbs.

Suiter later was pronounced dead after 7 p.m. by Moore.

“The initial claim by Mr. Choate was that during an argument, the victim began waving a handgun around, and at some point, shot herself in the face,” Dobbs said. “Cpl. House believed that the position of the victim and the overall circumstance did not match up with Mr. Choate’s version.”

Dobbs said he and other investigators arrived on the scene a short time later.

“My initial observations of the scene was in step with Cpl. House in that the facts/evidence didn’t match Mr. Choate’s account of the events,” Dobbs explained. “ … At the scene, there were things that jumped out at me, such as the fact the victim appeared to be somewhat laid back on the couch.

“She died right there in that position. The position of the victim’s body seemed to indicate someone was on top of her when she was shot.”

Dobbs said it also was obvious there had been no attempt to stop the bleeding or render any kind of aid to Suiter.

“It was apparent to the officers and myself that Mr. Choate was trying to portray a fake emotional response, pretending to be crying, but no tears were present,” Dobbs said.

Officers believe there was no one else other than Choate inside the camper at the time Suiter was shot, , the sheriff said, but “there were other people on the property who heard the shot. … It is our belief that Mr. Choate waited at least 10 minutes before calling 911.”

At the time of the shooting, Suiter/Choate’s camper had been parked on the property for “just a matter of a few days,” said Dobbs, who described the camper as their “collective residence.”

Dobbs said Choate, 46, was brought to the Butler County Justice Center for further interviewing.

“During the interview, Mr. Choate never indicated that he shot the victim,” Dobbs said. “ … Although he never admitted to shooting her, he did admit to at least touching the gun, despite the fact that he denied earlier in the interview that he had touched the gun.”

Authorities described the firearm as being a .22-caliber automatic pistol.

Throughout the interview, Dobbs said, Choate had a “total lack of detail in his defense.

“When asked to describe how she was waving the gun around, he didn’t give good details” nor did he give details about the “things she was saying” or “why she was waving the gun around.”

Dobbs said Choate’s account of how the gun even showed up at the camper was vague.

“He said the victim purchased the gun about two weeks ago; however, he did not know exactly when, from whom or where,” Dobbs said. “The problem I have with that statement, Mr. Choate is the person who handled the money in the relationship.”

Suiter, Dobbs said, had no job, income or transportation.

“For her to acquire a firearm and him to not know when or how, I find that really hard to believe,” Dobbs said.

As a convicted felon, Dobbs said, Suiter also was prohibited from possessing firearms.

“According to family members, the victim was not known to ever have guns or have a desire to have them,” Dobbs said.

While at the scene, Dobbs said, officers had noted additional bruising on Suiter’s face to her chin and mouth areas.

When asked about those injuries, “Mr. Choate said he had inflicted the injuries within the last 48 hours during another altercation,” Dobbs said. “It was apparent to me the bruises were somewhat fresh.”

Based on the investigation, Dobbs said, it was determined Choate and Suiter had what was described as a “very tumultuous relationship, and domestic violence was common.”

Oftentimes, during an interview, instead of giving details, Dobbs said, a suspect will “say, ‘Do whatever you’ve got to do with me.’

“When we articulated his lack of details (and) his account of the events didn’t make sense, he kept repeating the phase, ‘I don’t understand; I didn’t do anything wrong.’”

After working the case until about 2 a.m. Thursday, investigators resumed midmorning.

“We’re still talking to relatives” and looking into the “history of the victim and Mr. Choate’s relationship,” Dobbs said. “We still have some work to do before we apply for formal charges.”

Choate is being held at the Butler County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.

“Our office is reviewing the charges, and the investigation is ongoing,” said Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor.