Record shows police say suspect confessed
By Gary Popp
Published in News on August 18, 2011 1:46 PM
Goldsboro police have released a document claiming that Gary Metzger confessed to killing his sister, Jean Metzger Hubbard, in the living room of the home he shared with his wife, Ann Metzger.
Gary and Ann Metzger have both been charged with first-degree murder and could face a maximum sentence of death, if prosecutors decide to pursue it.
The document is a search warrant application drafted by a Goldsboro police investigator that requests permission to search the Metzgers' home and provides details of the investigation, arrests and interviews conducted before and after the Metzgers were taken into custody.
The search warrant was dated, issued and executed on Aug. 5.
According to the document, Gary Metzger told police he killed Ms. Hubbard inside the couple's mobile home at 146 Country View Drive on July 30.
The document does not say how she died, and police would not comment.
The document says Metzger kept the remains of the 66-year-old woman in a closet and early the next morning he carried the body through the woods behind the mobile home, where he disposed of it.
Authorities found Ms. Hubbard's body on Aug. 4, about a half mile behind the Metzgers' home, wrapped in a sheet and buried beneath limbs and debris.
According to police, Metzger's statements include him putting Ms. Hubbard's purse in a shed and later burning it in the woods behind the home. The purse was later located by police in the condition described by Metzger, according to the document.
During the search of the Metzgers' home, police seized twine, a flashlight and copies of a restraining order against Ann Metzger.
Ms. Hubbard had taken out a restraining order against Mrs. Metzger.
Early in the investigation, police communicated with the Metzgers, who were considered to be cooperative, concerned relatives.
Through interviews with the Metzgers, police were able to locate Ms. Hubbard's car in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Spence Avenue. Police have confirmed that the vehicle was driven to the parking lot by the Metzgers without Ms. Hubbard in the car. They would not elaborate on why they chose to leave the car there.
According to the search warrant application, recorded interviews with the Metzgers were conducted on Aug. 3 and the husband and wife provided conflicting stories of the last known whereabouts of Ms. Hubbard.
While attempting to gather information on the whereabouts of Ms. Hubbard, police investigators entered her home on South Taylor Street on the morning of Aug. 3. Detectives seized bank receipts, notebooks, checks, a checkbook, an address book, a weekly planner and other items.
According to the search warrant application, financial information found inside Ms. Hubbard's home disputed information previously provided by the Metzgers.
The document also stated that during the course of the investigation several ATM photos were recovered from the weekend of Ms. Hubbard's disappearance, which show both Gary and Ann Metzger using Ms. Hubbard's ATM card.
Police later stated that the couple went to several banking institutions in an attempt to access Ms. Hubbard's accounts.
The Metzgers are scheduled for a probable cause hearing Aug. 22.