SMELTERVILLE, Idaho — When a North Idaho man didn't show up for work, Shoshone County deputies went to check on him. But, his girlfriend of ten years wouldn't open the door.
Stephanie Paris is currently locked up in the Shoshone County Jail. Deputies say she shot and killed her boyfriend, Aaron Peterson.
Court documents show Paris had hid his body in their bedroom for two days and told people they lived with he wasn't feeling well. So, when Aaron didn;t show up for work or even call this Tuesday, his friend and co-worker David Kreidman thought it was odd when it happened again on Wednesday.
"I knew something was wrong," Kreidman said.
Kreidman went to Aaron's house in Smelterville. No one answered, but he could hear someone inside and noticed the front window was broken. Alarmed, he called Shoshone County deputies and asked for a welfare check.
They pulled up to the couple's home at 8:45 a.m. and started knocking. A few minutes later, they heard a woman's voice inside. According to court documents, Paris told them Aaron was in the shower and they didn't need to worry.
"Told them they weren't leaving," Kreidman said.
Hours passed and there was still no sign of Aaron. By 11 a.m., deputies told Paris they were getting a search warrant, to which she replied, according to documents,
"If you kick that door open, you're going to be dead. I'll shoot you."
Paris eventually came outside, and deputies, with a search warrant in hand, went in looking for Aaron. They found his covered body in the couple's bedroom. Aaron had been shot multiple times.
When questioned by detectives, Paris said she had been taunted by voices and feelings in her head that took over her body, according to court documents. Paris said she shot Aaron the day before while he was sleeping. The couple lived with Paris' son, wife and their four-month-old baby. She told them Aaron was staying in the bedroom because he was sick, according to court documents.
Neighbors say Paris struggled with mental health issues. Kreidman said Aaron sometimes showed up to work with bruises, but would often defend his girlfriend of ten years.
"We knew something might happen," Kreidman said.
Paris made her first court appearance Thursday afternoon. She's charged with murder, failure to report a death and obstructing officers. Her bail is set at $500,000.
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