Murder suspect's children say they urged father to divorce mother before his murder

PINEVILLE, Missouri – The sons of a deceased McDonald County man testified on the second day of their mother's murder trial that her financial negligence led to constant arguments and that they pressured their father to divorce their mother in the days before the fatal shooting.

Authorities in McDonald County deny that her husband's death was suicide or accidental shooting of his wife

Wynn, 50, of Anderson, is accused of planning to murder her husband, Harold Wynn, by shooting him.

The state concluded its evidence on Wednesday afternoon after calling twelve witnesses.

The defense called one witness, Mike Hall, a former McDonald County sheriff's deputy and current director of the McDonald County Health Department, before adjourning the case for the day. The case is expected to go before a jury on Thursday.

Prosecutors alleged that Wynn's financial instability was linked to the fatal shooting.

Nora Leonard, a human resources manager at Rausch Coleman, testified that Wynn increased the life insurance policy she had taken out on her husband to $100,000 in the weeks before his death.

The increase from $35,000 to $100,000 took effect on November 1, 2021, and was reflected on her check dated November 15, 2021.

Harold Wynn was killed by a fatal gunshot wound to the head on November 16, 2021.

Leonard testified that Wynn never cashed in the life insurance policy. According to court records, she was taken into custody the day of the shooting.

Jonathan Fletcher, deputy coroner for McDonald County, testified Tuesday that Wynn repeatedly asked at the crime scene, “When could she get the death certificate?”

“Getting the death certificate was their priority,” Fletcher testified. “That was their first question.”

Wynn told Fletcher that her husband had no history of mental health problems, drug problems or alcohol problems.

According to witnesses, Harold Wynn was found dead in a trailer, half lying on the right side of his back. His right arm was under his body and his left arm was under the blanket and sheet, according to trial testimony.

A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was found on Harold Wynn's head. The weapon was pointed at an outside wall, along with a second pillow that investigators said Dawn Wynn was sleeping on.

Tuesday's testimony indicated that Harold Wynn had a blanket and a sheet up to his neck. A hole in the pillow under Harold Wynn's head was about five inches from where the gun was found, an affidavit said.

Chief Medical Examiner Ransom Ellis testified that a “penetrating gunshot wound” to Harold Wynn's head was the cause of death and was homicide. Based on the crime scene examination and the lack of trace evidence, he ruled his death a homicide and not a suicide, Ellis testified.

Ellis also testified that the gunshot wound to Harold Wynn's head was not a through-shot wound and that the pillow with the hole in it found next to the gun did not serve as a silencer.

Wynn's children testify

During the trial, Dawn Wynn's three adult children, Braedon, Ethan and Savannah Wynn, sat on the benches behind the prosecution table after testifying against their mother.

During cross-examination by Charles Oppelt, Wynn's attorney, and prosecutor Maleia Cheney, the adult children testified that their mother was very emotionless, but they never saw a physical altercation between their parents. The siblings said their mother was angry about how their father spent his time.

Dawn Wynn remained stoic and showed no emotion during her children's testimony, even when Savannah had tears in her eyes during her testimony.

Each child testified that family life was full of arguments and that they had to remain silent for months when Dawn was angry with the children and their mother played the siblings off against each other and against their father.

Brothers Ethan and Braedon Wynn testified on the eve of their father's fatal shooting that they had discussed opening a new plumbing business with him, but with one caveat: Because of their mother's financial mismanagement, she was not to participate in the deal.

The brothers also testified that their parents stayed together “for the children,” but told their father that it was better for the two younger siblings to live in two houses rather than one where there was so much fighting.

The men had planned to meet on November 16, 2021 at 9 a.m. to discuss the details of the business opening.

Savannah Wynn tearfully testified that most of the problems she had with her mother at times were due to Dawn “helping” her raise and care for her two youngest siblings.

“I helped with homeschooling and all the housework,” Savannah Wynn said. “I wanted to have a life outside of raising kids.”

“We got along when we did things her way,” Savannah Wynn said. “One time she didn't talk to me for three months – when I started doing all the housework and everything again – she started talking to me.”

Braedon Wynn testified that many conversations in the family revolved around money and that he gave up the family plumbing business because he wasn't getting paid.

A church owed money, so the family sold their home to pay off the debt, Braedon Wynn said.

Brandon Wynn said her father had a drinking problem from the 1990s to the early 2000s.

Ethan Wynn, the couple's middle child, said he left home at 16 because Wynn never repaid the $10,000 she borrowed from him.

Ethan Wynn recently testified that Wynn emptied his bank account after his parents' bank accounts were frozen.

“I made a deal with my dad; they would pay me back the $2,500 they borrowed,” Ethan Wynn said.

Savannah's husband, Lane Bridenstine, said his father-in-law was like a friend.

“He was calm; it took a lot to make him angry,” Bridenstine said.

Bridenstine said he was not close to Dawn Wynn.

“She kept to herself,” Bridenstine said. “She was very quiet.”

Bridenstine testified that the two younger Wynn siblings ran to his house the morning of the shooting and said, “Mom is on the phone saying a shot went off and Dad isn't moving.”

The trial will continue on Thursday.

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