Man who said wife killed herself now charged with her murder
Video from a month before she died allegedly showed him punching her.
A Missouri man who served as an assistant fire chief, assistant coroner, and reserve sheriff's deputy has now been charged with the assault and murder of his wife, which he claimed was a suicide.
Jeremy Perrien, 45, was arrested and charged on Friday in the murder of his wife, Shelby Perrien, who died in 2025, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Office.
He has been charged with second-degree murder, harassment, domestic assault, and tampering with physical evidence, according to court documents.
Jeremy Perrien told investigators last year that his wife killed herself, but investigators now say he killed her after repeatedly threatening her, according to court documents.
Jeremy Perrien is accused of harassing his wife with abusive and threatening conduct, including physically assaulting her, threatening to assault their child, telling her to kill herself, and saying he was going to kill her, according to court documents.
Jeremy Perrien is also accused of choking her over a month before her killing, according to court documents.
Murder reported as a self-inflicted gunshot wound
The incident was initially reported as a "possible self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to the sheriff's department.
Jeremy Perrien told investigators his wife Shelby Perrien was in the passenger seat of a vehicle he was driving when she pulled out a handgun from the console and shot herself in the head, according to court documents.
After being first on the scene, the sheriff's office turned over the investigation to ensure it was "independent, transparent and free from any actual or perceived conflict of interest," Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley said in a statement on social media Friday.
"Because of the personal and professional relationships involved, we immediately turned the investigation over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control," Wheetley said.
Shelby Perrien was pronounced dead at a hospital on June 29, 2025. She was later transported for an autopsy, according to court documents.
Jeremy Perrien was taken in for a voluntary interview by a highway patrol trooper, according to court documents.
He initially told investigators he was out at a bar with his wife and he was ready to leave, but she was not, resulting in an argument shortly before she killed herself, according to court documents. He allegedly told investigators the argument did not get physical, according to records.
He then claimed that while in the vehicle, Shelby Perrien started "drunk talking," and he ignored her because he couldn't understand what she was saying. He said she then told him "I'm sorry that I'm a piece of [s---]," before shooting herself in the head, according to court documents.
Investigators find hidden video on the victim’s phone
While examining Shelby Perrien's phone, an investigator found a "hidden" video from May 2025 -- a month before her death -- that allegedly showed Jeremy Perrien hitting her in the face, choking her, punching her a number of times and threatening to kill her, according to court documents.
At one point in the video, after punching her in the rib cage seven times, he throws her on the floor beside the bed, according to court documents.
After investigators asked him why they were unable to find text messages between Jeremy and Shelby Perrien on either of their phones, Jeremy Perrien admitted he deleted their texts from both devices, according to court documents.
After investigators told Jeremy Perrien they would be examining his wife's cell phone, he admitted the couple were living a "swingers" lifestyle and that the night of her death they had gone to the bar to pick up someone to bring home, but were unable to find someone who "caught their attention," according to court documents.
Asked why he didn't reveal the extent of the argument, he said, "Because of the text messages. We were texting back and forth, arguing, and quite frankly, I feel like I made her kill herself," according to court documents.
Other text messages uncovered by investigators included a message from Jeremy Perrien to his wife saying, "I'd be lying to you if I told you that I was hoping that you wouldn't commit suicide," according to court documents.
In another text, he told his wife, "I meant it then and I mean it right now. You pull out a gun to blow your head off, and there won't be an ounce of my body that moves in an attempt to stop you," according to court documents.
A third text he sent her said, "You 100% will need a body bag if I stay with you. Each time my rage is worse," according to court documents.
If found guilty, he could face up to life in prison.
The sheriff's office denied what it said were claims that it had been "covering" for Jeremy Perrien because of his relationship with law enforcement in a statement Friday.
"We understand that people have been asking questions about this case for some time. We have also seen and heard accusations that the Scott County Sheriff's Office was somehow covering for Mr. Perrien because of his association with law enforcement. I want to be absolutely clear: that was never the case," Wheetley said in a statement on social media.
"There is an important difference between covering something up and allowing independent investigators to do their jobs without compromising an active investigation. I personally knew both Shelby and Jeremy. I worked alongside Jeremy at numerous fire scenes and calls for service. This has never been something I took lightly, and I wanted the truth just as much as Shelby's family, friends, and this community did," Wheetley said.
Attorney information was not listed for Jeremy Perrien. He was scheduled for an arraignment on Tuesday, but court records did not reveal if he entered a plea.
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