Mickey Anthony Woolery, top inset, faces charges in the death of Samantha Woolery, bottom inset. (Crime scene screenshot from FOX 5 Atlanta/YouTube; mug shot from Hamilton County Jail; Victim’s photo from Facebook)
An Indiana man killed his ex-wife, leaving behind a bloody machete, bloody fingerprints and Ring camera footage that links him to the extremely violent crime in her Georgia apartment, authorities said.
Mickey Anthony Woolery, 49, faces several charges in the death of Samantha Woolery, 42.
“It felt like my heart got ripped out of my chest,” Naeema Woolery, the couple’s teenage daughter, told CBS Atlanta affiliate WANF. “I kind of had an idea, but I just didn’t want to believe it. But I never would think that he would (allegedly) ever lay his hands on my mom, of all people, because my mom really stuck her neck out for him. And at the end of the day, she always wanted to see the best in you.”
Samantha Woolery was killed on June 15.
Concerned co-workers drove to her apartment in Marietta, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta, after she didn’t report to work the next day, authorities said. The door was closed but unlocked when her friends arrived. Inside, the co-workers found her body on the floor. She had been cut, was unresponsive and appeared dead, police said. Her friends immediately called 911.
“Their friend had been brutally attacked and murdered overnight,” Marietta Police Officer Chuck McPhilamy told Atlanta’s FOX affiliate WAGA. “She was deceased when officers and medical responders arrived. There was no chance at resuscitating her.”
Police tracked down Mickey Woolery on Monday in Carmel, Indiana, more than 500 miles north of Marietta. He was arrested after trying to run from police and was caught in the woods behind a home, McPhilamy said.
“This is a violent fugitive that is now being held accountable,” the officer told WAGA.
The defendant was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on charges of murder, assault, battery, possession of a weapon during a crime and felony malice murder. He’s set to appear in court on Tuesday, according to online records.
Police found a bloody machete by the bed and a bloody thumbprint they said linked the suspect to the crime scene, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing an arrest warrant.
Ring video across from the victim’s apartment allegedly showed the husband with blood on his hands, his bare feet and pants, Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported, citing the warrant.
Family members were devastated.
“We’re just in total shock,” her sister told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA, adding the couple had no history of domestic violence. “We just couldn’t believe that this … that he would have done this. Like, no way.”
In a Facebook post, colleagues mourned the Morehouse School of Medicine’s 2023 Intern of the Year.
“It is with heavy hearts that we remember Dr. Samantha Woolery, a devoted First-Year Surgery Resident,” the post said. “Dr. Woolery was deeply cherished for her kind and engaging spirit, as well as her remarkable ability to connect with everyone around her. Dr. Woolery’s dedication to advancing health equity and her compassionate care for patients made a significant impact on our community. Her legacy will continue to inspire us all.”
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