LIBERTY, Mo. — A Texas woman accused of shooting and killing a Gladstone psychiatrist in what authorities have dubbed “a crime of passion” is back in Clay County to face charges.
Shannon O’Roark Griffin, 52, of Granbury, Texas, was arrested last week in Newton, Kansas, and was being held in Wichita in connection to the January 13th murder of Dr. Irina Puscariu, M.D. of Gladstone. On Thursday, Clay County Sheriff’s deputies drove to Wichita to return her to Missouri.
O’Roark Griffin is now being held in the Clay County Jail. She is scheduled to be arraigned on first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in the case on Monday.
According to the probable cause statement, O’Roark Griffin shot Puscariu three times at the psychiatrist’s home Friday afternoon after her husband allegedly refused to end his affair with Puscariu.
Prosecutors say O’Roark Griffin drove from Texas to Missouri with the intent to kill Puscariu after O’Roark Griffin and her husband, Air Force Col. Roscoe Griffin, finished a therapy session where he told her he wanted a divorce.
People who knew Irina Puscariu told FOX 4 that they were shocked and saddened by the news. They described Puscariu as a beautiful person who was kind and caring.
One friend said she may not have made the best decision falling for a married man, but she didn’t deserve what happened.
According to court records, Col. Griffin called police about the murder. He said he knew Puscariu was dead because his wife called to tell him she had killed his mistress.
Puscariu’s elderly mother told police the doorbell rang around 2 p.m. on Friday and a woman came into the house and shot Puscariu three times. She later identified O’Roark-Griffin in a photo line up. As O’Roark-Griffin drove away, she called her daughter and her husband to say she did what she had to do to protect him and others from this evil woman.
A spokesperson for the V.A. Hospital where Puscariu worked says the staff is upset and that Puscariu was a valued staff member. They also said people who knew her, loved her.
Irina’s ex-husband told FOX 4 this is an “unspeakable loss and the biggest personal loss of his whole life,” adding that “It has destroyed two families.”
He also asked for respect for the families while they go through this tragedy.
