Animal hospital releases new hours after vet charged with murdering husband

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Hitchcock Animal Hospital released new hours of operation after a veterinarian was charged with the murder of a 43-year-old man in Aiken County.

The hospital announced the new open hours for the remainder of this week on Tuesday:

• Dec. 4 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Dec. 5 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Dec. 6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Dec. 7 8 a.m. to noon

If you need to schedule an appointment or any medication refills, please call the office at 803-679-5001.

“We want to let you know that we intend to remain open during our normal hours of operation. However, moving forward, we will be sharing any updates to our hours every week to keep you informed of any changes. Thank you for your understanding and continued trust in us to care for your pets. We’re here for you and will keep you updated as needed,” the hospital posted on Facebook.

The separated wife of a 43-year-old man has been charged with murder in his Aiken County shooting death, according to authorities.

The Aiken County Coroner’s Office says Greg Baughman was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the scene of the shooting in the 1000 block of Prides Crossing.

Arrest warrants released Monday morning give details of the offenses allegedly committed by his separated wife, local veterinarian Jennifer Kerri Ray.

An arrest warrant alleges that with “malice aforethought,” she shot Baughman “multiple times in the back and multiple while he was lying on the floor.”

Another warrant alleges she did “knowingly and willfully possess and display what appeared to be a firearm, during the commission of a crime.”

Ray was arrested Sunday night after the shooting, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.

The charges of murder and possession of weapons during a violent crime weren’t added until Monday morning.

An autopsy for Baughman has been scheduled.

Authorities had said the shooting was a domestic-related incident.

According to previous news coverage, Baughman and Ray co-owned Hitchcock Animal Hospital at Trail Ridge Road and Hitchcock Parkway.

Court filings show marital trouble

The couple separated on Aug. 29, according to court filings. Then Baughman legally filed for separation on Oct. 25 in a matter that was awaiting mediation, according to a court filing.

The filing states that Baughman believed he was entitled to a decree of separate and maintenance from Ray, and he was not seeking alimony or spousal .

He believed their assets and debts should be determined and divided and that the court should issue a restraining order prohibiting both of them from selling, mortgaging, hiding, and disposing or depleting of any marital assets pending litigation.

He also believed Ray should contribute to his attorney fees and cost, according to a filing.

He also wanted a “no adverse ” order. In the nature of the action, he only found this for “separate and maintenance” he did not check anything in the box for protection from domestic abuse.

Ray accepted the summons on Nov. 9.

Suspect appears in court

An initial court hearing was held for Ray on Monday afternoon.

The judge did not have the authority decide bond. That must be done in circuit court by a general sessions court judge.

Ray will stay for now in Aiken County jail until she’s called for circuit court in the coming weeks.

Her next appearance at the courthouse will be March 14 at 9 am. Her second appearance will be May 23 at 11 a.m. She is to have no with the victim’s family at all.

At the hearing, her attorney said she was a victim of domestic violence on Nov. 9. Her attorney said she went to the hospital that night, the same day she accepted the separation documents. The attorney said there are medical records and incident reports from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and photos of her injuries.

The judge asked if there were any charges brought in the incident and Ray’s attorney said no, but there is an incident report. The attorney said Ray asked that authorities hold off on charges because Baughman was a Marine and his military career was in jeopardy.

Her attorneys believe once they get in front of a general sessions court judge, they will be able to show she meets bond standards and doesn’t pose a flight risk. They noted she has strong ties to this area and has no prior criminal history and there is no evidence she would be a danger

They say there’s a lot more to this case and that they have unwavering denial on the charge of murder and plan to address that in circuit court.

AT THE SCENE:

The couple made news regarding a separate and apparently unrelated shooting earlier this year outside their animal hospital. A customer was hit by a stray bullet fired at a nearby apartment complex, and two men were arrested in connection with that.

Baughman’s slaying is among several deadly shootings in the past few days across the CSRA.

On Friday night, a shooting left a 20-year-old man dead in the 1000 block on Amli Way in Augusta.

On Wednesday, a shooting left two people dead in the 3000 block of Mystic Lane. Tony Brooks Horne, 46, was arrested on the scene.

And another shooting incident last week left multiple people dead in Augusta. That incident happened Nov. 21 in the 2100 blocks of B and C streets, claiming the lives of Jeremy Dontavious McGahee, 34, and Zyquan Jamarcus Franklin, 32, both of Augusta.

The shootings come amid a two-year outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 180 lives across the CSRA.

Cities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River. But as the largest community in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

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