North Carolina Judge Warns Murder Suspect Over Life Insurance Assets

Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, NC)

The man accused of administering a fatal dose of eye drop poisoning to his wife in 2018 agreed Monday to provide an accounting of his current financial assets by Jan. 22.

Gaston County Superior Court Judge Jesse B. Caldwell Jr. granted a temporary restraining order on Dec. 23, 2019, ordering that Joshua Lee Hunsucker not use the $250,000 he received from two life insurance policies shortly after the death of his wife, Stacy Robinson Hunsucker, to post his $1.5 million bail related to his first-degree murder charge.

Hunsucker, 35, was in Gaston County Jail from Dec. 19 until he posted bail through U.S. Bonding Co. on Dec. 24, 2019.

The order is part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Hunsucker on Dec. 23, 2019, by his former mother-in-law, Suzanne C. Robinson, administrator of the Stacy Robinson Hunsucker estate. Thomas Van Camp, an attorney with the Van Camp, Meacham and Newman law firm in Pinehurst, represents Robinson in the civil case filed in Gaston County Superior Court.

If the plaintiff prevails, Hunsucker will be required to forfeit the money which they claim he's used to pay off his home, buy a $100,000 boat and take vacations with a girlfriend, who they believe he was having an affair with prior to his wife's death.

The lawsuit is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages exceeding $25,000 as the plaintiff claims Stacy Hunsucker's death was "caused by the willful, intentional and malicious conduct of the defendant," according to previous reports.

Van Camp and David Teddy, Hunsucker's attorney, signed a consent order with Caldwell during a Monday hearing to continue the temporary restraining order until Feb. 17.

"It is our hope that we'll get a permanent or a preliminary injunction consent order to you in between that time," Van Camp said.

Van Camp stated that Hunsucker hasn't violated the order, and that an accounting of Hunsucker's bank accounts, CDs and investment accounts, as well as a listing of all real and personal property he owns, will be given on Jan. 22.

Caldwell showed concern after "independent neutral" witnesses told the plaintiff that items were removed from Hunsucker's home in Mount Holly.

The issue was resolved Friday, but Caldwell sternly directed Teddy to reiterate "in the strongest of terms" the possible consequences of violating the order to Hunsucker, including going to jail for contempt of court and having his bond revoked.

Teddy clarified that Hunsucker's $100,000 Supra boat was recently moved away from the house because Hunsucker no longer lives at the Mount Holly home and that Hunsucker only wanted to protect his boat from theft.

Teddy also noted that Hunsucker took several personal items with him to his new residence while at the former residence.

After the hearing, Van Camp said Robinson is only pursuing the lawsuit to benefit her granddaughters, ages 6 and 5.

"Everything that they're doing and everything that they've done... is for the benefit of those kids," Van Camp said.

Joshua and Stacy Robinson Hunsucker were married May 1, 2010, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. During the marriage, the couple had the two girls.

The temporary restraining order allows him to have visitation with his two girls every other weekend from 5 p.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Sunday and on Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The girls now live with Hunsucker's sister, Jessica Darlene Hunsucker.

Joshua Hunsucker did not attend Monday's hearing.

You can reach Gavin Stewart at 704-869-1819 or on Twitter @GavinGazette.

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