Slain woman died of multiple shots; suspect arraigned
12/27/2012
Robert Carter appears in Toledo Municipal Court Wednesday.
THE BLADE/TAYLOR DUNGJEN
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Robert Carter appears in Toledo Municipal Court Wednesday.
A Toledo woman who died Monday evening after being shot in West Toledo died of multiple gunshot wounds, an autopsy revealed.
Wendabi Triplett, 41, was shot in the neck, arms, and abdomen, said Lucas County Deputy Coroner Dr. Cynthia Beisser, who performed the autopsy Wednesday. Dr. Beisser declined to say how many times the victim had been shot.
Police said Ms. Triplett was shot in front of her three children at 11 p.m. Monday in the 4400 block of Terrace View Street and was pronounced dead several hours later at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center.
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Robert F. Carter, 43, of 1143 Belmont Ave., Ms. Triplett’s estranged husband, is charged as the shooter and was held in the Lucas County jail Wednesday in lieu of $1 million bond following his arraignment in Toledo Municipal Court.
Along with the aggravated murder charge, Carter also was arraigned on three charges from a separate incident last month involving Ms. Triplett's children.
In court documents, Detective Larry Anderson wrote that, according to a witness, Carter circled the Terrace View area several times Monday night, starting at about 9 p.m., “appearing to be looking for a specific location.”
Wendabi Triplett
Hours later, a witness allegedly saw a man resembling Carter shoot Ms. Triplett as she got out of her vehicle.
Carter surrendered to police on Christmas morning.
Police describe the death, the 38th homicide in Toledo this year, as a case of domestic violence.
In court, more than a dozen people showing support for Ms. Triplett filled up two rows in the court room.
When Carter walked in, hands cuffed in front of him, Ms. Triplett's 17-year-old daughter, Wykeisha Boykin, burrowed her head into an arm of the man sitting next to her.
Carter was also arraigned on two counts of aggravated menacing and one count of domestic violence. The three charges stem from a Nov. 5 incident where Carter allegedly pointed a gun at Ms. Triplett’s children. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
After the arraignment, Ms. Triplett’s supporters declined to comment. It was not clear if family or friends of Carter were in court.