HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The widow of a man shot to death while they were out walking their dogs called the killings unprovoked and terrifying.
Cheryle Loden told Channel 2’s Tom Regan during Channel 2 Action News at 5:00 that a man opened fire after his dog and one of the couple’s dogs got into a fight.
This happened just days before Christmas at Simpson Park in Gainesville on Lake Lanier.
A small memorial marks the tragedy - a little Christmas tree with a tag saying, “Dog dad.”
Terry Loden’s widow, who watched her husband get shot along with their dog, says she’s lost a hero.
“He was absolutely awesome. He had the biggest heart. He was so talented, he could play guitar, sing, fix anything,” she said.
The crushing grief over the violent death of her beloved husband Terry is at times unbearable.
“There’s no doubt in my mind how much he loved me. He told me every day. He loved his family. He adored his grandkids,” she said.
He also loved dogs, and they took in a stray, Jessie, after the pup was hit by a car. They often took Jessie and their other dog on unleashed walks near Lake Lanier.
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On Dec. 21, Jessie got into a scrap with another dog out with its owner.
Terry rushed to separate them.
“He pulled her off the dog, and then the man just shot her. He said He just shot my dog, And Terry just stood up and said what are you doing? And then he just shot him, just shot him.
She says the suspected shooter, 52-year-old Todd Stalcup, paced around while her husband lay dying.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to call 911.’ And he just looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, you do that,’” the widow said. “The next thing I knew, he drove off. He just got in his car and drove. I mean who does that?”
The dispatcher told Cheryle to cover up her husband while waiting for paramedics.
“He just looked at me and said, ‘I love you all. I’m going now,’” Cheryle said. “And I said, ‘No you’re not, no you’re not.’”
Deputies arrested Stalcup a short distance from the park.
Cheryle says she knows nothing about the alleged killer of her husband of 50 years - a couple who professed their love for each other every day.
“He said, ‘I couldn’t do this world without you,’” she said. “I said, ‘Yeah, me too.’”
A GoFundMe is raising money for Cheryle Loden for expenses and stability as she tries to heal.
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