Newberry Observer

NEWBERRY - A Union woman is accused of trying to kill her husband by poisoning him.

Mary Susan Brooks, 60, 281 Hunt Club Road, Union, was arrested Sunday by the Newberry County Sheriff's Office and charged with attempt to commit murder. Brooks owns and operates Marx Marina, a club on Lake Murray. She is the former manager of Signature Loans in Union.

According to her arrest warrant, Brooks “did attempt to commit the offense of murder ... Brooks did attempt to maliciously administer or attempt to administer drugs or poisons to Mark Hanners with the intent to kill the said person.”

According to a report filed with the sheriff's office, a confidential informant said Brooks had made several statements about attempting to “get rid of her husband.”

Officers interviewed several witnesses and heard reports of some type of crushed medication being placed in Hanners' drink.

“It was very likely that Brooks attempted to get others to assist her in the crime,” Sheriff Lee Foster said. “Several samples of the medication(s) have been taken to the State Law Enforcement Division for analysis.”

The attempt on Hanners' life was a combination of ongoing business and domestic-related disputes between the couple, Foster said.

“While this is certainly most serious in nature and there was great threat of harm and death to the victim, we do not believe that the safety or health of anyone other than the victim was ever jeopardized,” Foster said. “We may never completely understand all of the factors involved, but we should be able to at least get a clearer picture of the events that led to this serious incident.”

Brooks is being held in the Newberry County Detention Center. Due to the charge carrying up to a life sentence, Brooks' bond must be set by a circuit court judge.