Wife arrested in death of disabled, blind Flagler County man, deputies say

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A wife has been arrested in St. John's County in the death of her husband, Flagler County deputies said Tuesday during a news conference.

Charles William “Butch” Singer was found shot five times on April 7 and found in the couple's backyard underneath a jon boat on Pine Tree Lane in Bunnell, deputies said.

"She did attempt to cover up the smell with moth balls and other things and wrapped him up," said Sheriff Rick Staly, of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

Dorothy Singer, 52, has been arrested and charged with her husband's death, deputies said.

"We zeroed in on her pretty early. In my opinion, one of the biggest clues is when you don't report your husband missing," said Staly.

Charles Singer was reported missing March 23 by the victim's sister. She became suspicious when she hadn't heard from him in a while and suddenly received text messages with typos, deputies said.

Charles Singer used a device that sent text messages since he was legally blind and disabled.

He was killed between Feb. 8 and April 7, deputies said. Investigators recovered the gun they believe Dorothy Springer used in the killing.

Deputies would not release information on a motive.

Deputies said Dorothy Singer was planning to fake her death and flee Florida before her arrest.

Dorothy Singer has been charged with first-degree murder.

"She can rot in jail. She took a life. There's other ways, if you have a problem with a spouse," Staly said.

Dorothy Singer has been married three times and all have passed away, deputies said.

"It seems unusual to us that one of her husbands died at age 38 rather suddenly. We don't know exactly how he died, but we have notified the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. This might be a case they want to look at," Staly said.

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