Melissa Gholson Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder of Husband

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Melissa Gholson has pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder relating to the October 2021 killing of her husband. Per the plea agreement, the Honorable Steven Whittington sentenced Gholson to 40 years in Florida State Prison.

On Oct. 31, 2021, Gholson and her husband had a verbal argument over his wanting to seek help for her. During the dispute, Gholson grabbed a firearm from a gun safe and put it in her pocket then placed the gun in a drawer. When the two resumed arguing a short while later, Gholson grabbed the gun out of the drawer, pointed it at her husband, and pulled the trigger. However, the gun only clicked as the bullet wasn’t chambered. Gholson then proceeded to chase her husband into the home’s garage and shot him multiple times. He died from his injuries. After committing the crime, Gholson went back inside the home, watched TV, and slept on the couch. The next day she ran errands before driving to her sister’s home to confess to the killing. Gholson’s sister then brought her to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to confess. After the confession, officers went to the home for a well-being check where they found the victim dead in the garage. Gholson later said she was not in fear of her life or defending herself when she pulled the trigger, but instead was tired of marital arguments.

The case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Pam Hazel.