82-year-old woman charged with husband’s murder after shooting on Hilton Head Island

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WTOC) - [UPDATE 10:24 a.m. 9/15/2025] The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office has now released the name of Dennis Recker, an 81-year-old male from Bluffton.

Mr. Recker died on September 12, 2025, at approximately. 11:26 am on scene at 87 Birdsong Way from a gunshot wound.

His wife, 82-year-old Harriet Kay Recker, was booked into the Beaufort County Jail that same afternoon.

We spoke to someone who used to do pest control for the Reckers’ home in Sun City. He says he was shocked when he saw the arrest.

“When I saw her picture, I was dumbfounded, like there is no way that this woman did what they are saying she did,” Beaufort County resident, Ted Dwemoh said.

Especially after talking with Harriet on multiple occasions at her home.

“She was always loving,” Dwemoh said. “She would try and help you out with anything, like when you went to her house to do pest control, she would walk and talk with you, give you snacks and water. She’s the nicest person in Sun City.”

See more of that story below.

[ORIGINAL STORY] An 82-year-old woman faces murder and another firearms charge related to a shooting Friday morning on Hilton Head Island, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirms.

Harriet Kay Recker was booked into the Beaufort County Jail on Friday afternoon, accused of killing her husband at a care facility in Hilton Head.

Neighbors say the shooting happened at the Preston Health Center, a skilled-care facility, on Birdsong Way, located in the Hilton Head Plantation community.

Deputies say it was just before 11 a.m. Friday morning, when they got a report of shots fired behind the gates.

Deputies arrived and responded to a patient’s room, where they located Recker, alongside her spouse, an 81-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound.

Despite lifesaving efforts, the victim succumbed to his injuries.

Recker is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

According to jail records, she is being held in the Beaufort County Jail with no bond set in her case, as she awaits her first appearance with a judge.

Deputies say the investigation remains ongoing.