Man accused of poisoning family with eye drops in court for bond hearing

GASTONIA, N.C. — A man from Gaston County charged with murder for allegedly poisoning his wife with eye drops went to court on Monday with the hopes of getting out of jail.

Before August, Joshua Hunsucker had already been out on bond and waiting for his murder trial, but he was taken back into custody on more charges. He’s now accused of poisoning his daughter in almost the same way.

Hunsucker was accused of using eye drops to kill his wife, Stacy, in 2018.

The District Attorney’s Office says the new charges are grounds for revoking his original bond on the murder charge and keeping him in jail. The motion to revoke claims that last year, Hunsucker poisoned his daughter with the same substance used in eye drops.

Prosecutors say Hunsucker is a danger to his children and in-laws.

Hunsucker harassed his wife’s family, followed them, and made crude gestures toward them, and he sent a package trying to get her parents to drop their case against him, prosecutors claim.

In 2023, he was accused of using zip ties in a staged kidnapping and claiming his in-laws injected him with an unknown substance.

In August, prosecutors charged Hunsucker with obstructing justice and intimidating a witness saying he followed his in-laws to church and made crude gestures.

According to the motion, Hunsucker is also accused of abusing and neglecting his children.

Hunsucker hoped he would be granted bond during his hearing on Monday.

During Hunsucker’s hearing, a judge ruled to revoke his bond for the original murder charge he’s facing. Hunsucker then received a $25,000 bond for the new charge.

The prosecution said the trial was planned to start in March, but the new developments may have pushed that back until next fall.

Prosecutors also say Hunsucker set fire to a helicopter and faked his own kidnapping, which was a reason to keep him in jail.

The prosecution said the trial was planned to start in March, but the new developments may have pushed that back until next fall.

In 2019 after Hunsucker’s wife died, but before he was charged with her death, he was accused of starting a fire on an Atrium Health medical helicopter while working as a paramedic.

The helicopter pilot had to make an emergency landing on East Independence Boulevard.

(VIDEO: Donald Trump holds rally in Gastonia hours before early voting ends)

Donald Trump holds rally in Gastonia hours before early voting ends

©2024 Cox Media Group