Michelle Yeagher (Connecticut State Police).
A Connecticut woman is behind bars after shooting and killing a man while he was watching a classic Pixar film with a child, according to law enforcement in the Nutmeg State.
Michelle Yeagher, 65, stands accused of one count each of murder, carrying a firearm while under the influence, risk of injury to a child, and reckless endangerment in the first degree, according to the Connecticut State Police.
The underlying incident occurred late Monday night at a house on Pratt Road in the Dayville neighborhood of Killingly — a small town located roughly 50 miles due east of Hartford.
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Earlier on the night in question, Andrew Michael Olson, 39, was watching "Toy Story" with an as-yet-unidentified 12-year-old at the residence, according to charging documents obtained by New Britain-based NBC affiliate WVIT. Later that night, Olson would be dead.
At 9:31 p.m., troopers found the victim suffering from a lone gunshot wound to the chest, according to prosecutors. The child in the home said the two had been watching the film together when Yeagher entered the entertainment room and opened fire, authorities say.
Olson was rushed to nearby Day Kimball Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to law enforcement.
Meanwhile, troopers found Yeagher in bed and asked her about the location of the gun used to shoot Olson, according to prosecutors. The defendant allegedly appeared to be highly intoxicated and said she was not sure where the gun had been placed, law enforcement claim.
During an initial interview after being detained, Yeagher allegedly tried to justify the shooting, according to investigators.
"He tried to kill me," the defendant allegedly told police on the night in question. "I shot him. He came after me, I shot him."
The woman allegedly went on to say she was in the bedroom when Olson came after her – describing some difficulty unlocking her gun safe before firing her weapon, police say.
Yeagher allegedly told investigators that Olson and the child came over earlier that night and then she went to bed.
That explanation, of course, did not align with what the 12-year-old told investigators. Then, the defendant's story allegedly changed.
Yeagher was subsequently handcuffed and taken out of the residence on a stretcher around 11:30 p.m., according to a report by Hartford-based CBS affiliate WFSB.
The defendant was interviewed again the next morning.
On Tuesday, she allegedly told investigators she was upset from dealing with various issues throughout the day and started drinking that night. Later, Yeagher allegedly said she woke up terrified and retrieved her gun but did not remember anything until she heard Olson in a state of distress. Next, the defendant allegedly said she saw an injured person lying on the ground, according to law enforcement.
Yeagher is currently being detained in the Connecticut State Department of Correction on $1 million bond, records show.
She is next slated to appear in court on Dec. 11.
