A volatile divorce in Poplarville, Mississippi, ended in a public killing outside the Pearl River County courthouse. James Ray Saucier, 62, was shot and killed on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, shortly after his divorce from 49-year-old Tanya Saucier was finalized at the Lenoir Rowell Criminal Justice Center. He was pronounced dead at the scene after first responders attempted to revive him.

Witnesses included Tanya Saucier’s attorney and a nearby service station employee who reported hearing about five initial shots followed by more. Police arrived within a minute and arrested Tanya Saucier at the scene; she has been charged with murder and is being held at the Pearl River County jail. The couple’s marriage had a history of violence: James Saucier had been indicted in August on aggravated assault and domestic violence with a deadly weapon for an alleged shooting of Tanya a year earlier, with his trial scheduled for March and his attorney asserting self-defense. Family members described James Saucier as a good man and said they wished more had been done to prevent this outcome.

Did anyone witness events outside the courthouse that morning or have information about the lead-up to the shooting?