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Woman, 88, Shot Elderly Husband in Bed for Cheating with Hairdresser

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on November 09, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Dorothy Desjardins had reason to believe her hairdresser was having an affair with her 88-year-old husband. So the golden girl decided to get even -- by shooting her beloved in bed.

Peter is now recovering after being shot in the arm. But Dorothy, 87, faces domestic violence charges for the attack that apparently had its roots in some beauty salon banter.

Dorothy, who walks with a walker, accused her husband of cheating. Her evidence: An alleged admission by her hairdresser.

Peter denied the whole thing, got tired of arguing, and went to bed, the police report states. That's when Dorothy decided -- in her words -- "to scare the s--- out of him."

Dorothy Desjardins hobbled into the bedroom using her walker, sat down on the bed next to her husband, and threw some books at Peter Desjardins.

When she ran out of books, Dorothy grabbed Peter's revolver. She flailed around for a bit, and then fired one shot -- lodging bird pellets in Peter's arm.

That's likely the last time Mrs. Desjardins will be allowed to have a gun in her hand. If convicted of domestic violence, Dorothy will be barred from transporting, possessing, or receiving firearms and ammunition -- ironically, under a provision of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act.

And she won't be able to use a "heat of passion" defense for the shooting. That only works if the victim is killed, to argue for a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder.

Plus, there's only a short window of time to be able to claim "heat of passion." It has to happen immediately after finding your spouse in bed with someone else. For Dorothy Desjardin, too much time would have elapsed between her hairdresser's admission and the hairy situation she created at home.

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