City man killed; county woman injured

Published 12:00 am Monday, August 20, 2001

Warren County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators stand near 385 Culkin Road where a Vicksburg man was killed and a Warren County woman was shot Sunday afternoon.(The Vicksburg Post/C. TODD SHERMAN)

[08/20/01] A Vicksburg man was shot and set afire outside a Culkin Road home Sunday and the woman who lived there was shot and remained hospitalized this morning.

At the scene, authorities said they believe the woman’s ex-husband, who was arrested there, ambushed the two.

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Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the body of Joe Hartzog, 56, 35 Bellwood Drive, was found shot and burned inside his vehicle around 12:11 p.m. in the driveway at 385 Culkin Road, a home once shared by the woman, Patricia Wilson, 52, and her ex-husband, Donald Wilson, 62.

“It appears that he (Donald Wilson) pulled up into the driveway, stepped out and started shooting,” Pace said.

Sheriff’s deputies responding to a call of shots fired in the neighborhood north of Interstate 20 found Patricia Wilson in the front yard of a nearby home. She had one wound in the abdomen, Pace said, and was taken to ParkView Regional Medical Center where she underwent surgery Sunday afternoon. A hospital spokesman said she was in stable condition this morning.

Donald Wilson, who lives at 1074 Riley Road, was arrested at the Culkin Road house. He was in the Warren County Jail this morning facing charges of murder, aggravated assault, burglary and two counts of second-degree arson, Pace said.

He was expected to appear in Warren County court this morning.

Pace said the first officer on the scene, Deputy John Roland, found neighbors trying to provide medical assistance to Patricia Wilson after she fled from her yard.

As Deputies Mike Marshall and Jay Ghrigsby arrived to assist the first victim, Roland and Investigator Billy Heggins discovered Hartzog’s body partially inside the burning cab of his 2001 Ford pickup, Pace said.

“The question is, Did he die from the gunshot wounds or the fire,'” Pace said. “We’ll have to wait for the autopsy to find out.”

Warren County Deputy Coroner Larry Chisley said this morning he was unable to determine where Hartzog had been shot or the exact cause of death. He said an autopsy is scheduled for tonight in Pearl.

Pace said Roland and Heggins, who initially attempted to extinguish the burning truck with a garden hose, spotted Donald Wilson inside the home.

“He was ordered to come out of the home and lie down on the ground and he did,” Pace said. “He was taken into custody without incident.”

Pace said the Wilsons had been divorced for about a year.

A .38-caliber pistol believed to be the murder weapon was recovered at the home, Pace said.

Pace said this morning that Donald Wilson had made no statement to authorities, and the sheriff would not speculate about the relationship between Hartzog and Patricia Wilson.

A conviction for murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, but if it is determined that the victim died in the fire, Donald Wilson could be charged with murder during the commission of another felony, such as arson. That would mean he could face capital murder charges, which carry a maximum penalty of death.