Security cameras upend man's story of finding wife fatally shot in his car
David Tolbert told investigators when he opened his car door outside a store where he was working in Huntsville, Alabama, he discovered his wife Savannah Tolbert's lifeless body in the front passenger seat. Investigators would rely on multiple security cameras to piece together what happened.
On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, a small strip mall in Huntsville, Alabama, saw a surge of police activity. The source reports that 37-year-old Savannah Tolbert was found dead in the front seat of her red Tesla, shot in the back of her head. Moments before police arrived, her husband David Tolbert was captured on security camera footage entering the store where he worked, visibly shaken and holding his hands over his mouth. When police arrived, he was seen crouching on the floor.
The investigation was initially led to believe that Savannah had taken her own life. However, there were several discrepancies in the evidence. For instance, her fingers were found curled around the gun, and the bullet hole was in her left side. Moreover, a shell casing was found in the rear seat of the Tesla, indicating that the gun had been fired there. This raised red flags for investigators.
Savannah's sisters, Holly and April Hancock, were skeptical of her actions, insisting that she wouldn't have committed suicide or left her daughter behind. The gun that investigators found belonged to Savannah, and a shell casing was discovered in the Tesla, further complicating the case.
The couple, who had been married for almost two years but were living apart for several months, had a troubled marriage. Savannah had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. David, a retired corrections officer, was working at the store preparing for a health inspection when Savannah arrived. According to him, he didn't know she was coming and had to go in for work. The store has four security cameras, and Savannah's movements were captured on camera.
Investigators believe that Savannah walked to her Tesla, likely to watch a movie, and was last seen alive on the security camera in the parking lot. About 20 minutes later, David was seen leaving the store with a Yeti-style coffee mug. He was then handcuffed for officer safety, despite not being arrested. The police questioned David, who initially claimed that he found the gun in Savannah's lap. However, investigators pointed out that if she was right-handed, her gun would have been in her right hand.
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