Man Accused Of Poisoning Wife With Eye Drops Arrested For Starting Helicopter Fire

A former paramedic from Mount Holly, North Carolina who was accused of using eye drops to kill his wife in 2018 has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a medical helicopter in 2019, local police said.

Authorities said 36-year-old Joshua Lee Hunsucker was connected to an incident that occured on Nov 26, 2019 where a piece of medical equipment was intentionally set on fire inside an Atrium Health medical helicopter while in flight. The report said the helicopter was forced to land and that it had interferred with flight operations.

Accoring to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, Hunsucker turned himself in on Monday after he learned he was charged with the felony of burning personal property. He was issued a $50,000 unsecured bond on the same day, WJZY reported.

Hunsucker was already out of jail on bond and awaiting trial for another charge in 2019 wherein he was accused of murdering his wife in September 2018. He was accused of first-degree murder for the death of his wife, 32-year-old Stacy Hunsucker, just two months after the helicopter arson incident. Court documents reveal Hunsucker had intent of collecting her life insurance money amounting to $250,000. She was the mother of two young children when she died.

Investigators said Hunsucker allegedly used Visine eye drops to kill his wife. A blood test found very high levels of tetrahydrozoline, an active ingredient in the eye drops, in the deceased's system. High exposure and large quantity ingestion of the substance can lead to heart failure.

Hunsucker did not allow for an autopsy of his wife's body prior to her cremation but investigators found a breakthrough when they discovered vials of her blood had been obtained by a private company involved with organ donation.

An interrogation of Hunsucker led prosecutors to believe he poisoned his wife with Visine or a similar product which ultimately caused her death, local newspaper the Charlotte Observer reported in 2019.

Hunsucker's murder trial is currently being adjourned due to issues caused by COVID-19. Both cases are still being investigated by authorities.