An Aiken veterinarian has been charged with murder following the domestic shooting death of her husband Sunday at their home on Prides Crossing, authorities said.
Dr. Jennifer Ray, 44, is accused of shooting 43-year-old Greg Baughman repeatedly around 5 p.m. on Sunday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.
Dr. Ray is being held at the Aiken County Detention Center on charges of murder and weapon possession. The murder warrant says she shot “him multiple times in the back and multiple (times) while he was lying on the floor.”
The motive for the shooting remains unclear. However, reports suggest that the couple had a history of domestic disputes, and Baughman had filed for divorce and was living elsewhere at the time of his death.
It’s unclear what brought him back to their home, located at 1043 Prides Crossing in Aiken.
The couple was well known as the owners of Hitchcock Animal Hospital. Dr. Ray had 14 years of experience as a veterinarian, while Greg Baughman had over 20 years of experience in supervision and management, including with UPS and the United States Marine Corps.
Friends described him as an active Marine reservist, a member of the USMC Reserve Marksmanship Team, and a veteran of two deployments to Iraq and two to Afghanistan.
A few years ago, the couple used their combined skills in veterinary medicine and business management to establish their own practice. In 2019, they began transforming an existing building into a new, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital, which was slated to open in June 2020.
Dr. Ray received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina Aiken in 2007 and attended veterinary school at Tuskegee University.
