Man charged with domestic assault after allegedly pointing gun at woman in Maries County

BELLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Belle man was charged on Thursday after he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman inside her home and threatened to kill her.

Terry Lee Watson, 51, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, first-degree harassment, illegal gun possession, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Maries County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Maries County Courthouse.

According to the probable cause statement, Watson allegedly sent several text messages and voice recordings that said he wanted to kill the victim and her family. The victim was granted a restraining order against Watson last week, court documents say.

While the victim was at work on Wednesday, Watson allegedly parked his vehicle near her residence, was able to get inside and waited in the dark for the victim, court documents say. The victim had called law enforcement when she saw Watson’s truck, the statement says.

The statement says Watson pulled out a shotgun and pointed it at the victim’s face when she arrived at the residence. Watson was allegedly wearing gloves to not leave fingerprints on the gun, the statement says.

A law enforcement officer was outside the home when they heard the victim scream, try to run away and fall to the floor, the statement says. A law enforcement officer met with the victim, who told him that Watson pointed a gun to her head, the statement says. Watson allegedly then put down the gun and placed the gloves near several beer and booze bottles, court documents say.