Slaying shatters love story

CLOVER -- Gustave Hartner painted his wife's fingernails.

The Clover man always put makeup on Mildred Hartner's face and dressed her. And he always accompanied the 90-year-old to the beauty shop.

But Wednesday morning, police say, the 73-year-old Hartner shot and killed his wife. Hartner faces a murder charge.

The shooting came six months after police say Hartner made suicidal comments and death threats against his wife. Hartner told police at least twice "that it was getting harder to provide care for his wife," according to reports.

After the shooting, Mildred Hartner was taken to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, where she died later Wednesday, said York County Chief Deputy Coroner David Chambers. Preliminary autopsy results show she was shot once in the back of the head, Chambers said.

Also Wednesday, Hartner was hospitalized at PMC after an overdose in what police called an apparent suicide attempt. He was listed in fair condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

News of the shooting stunned hairstylists Debbie Sanders and Iris Dooley, who had known the couple for two years.

"When he would bring her in, he would kiss her, pat her hand and talk to her while she was under the dryer," Dooley said Thursday. "They looked like the perfect couple."

Through daily calls, Hartner kept Sanders updated on his wife, who last came to the shop two weeks ago. On Wednesday, a "distressed" Hartner called the shop around 11 a.m., Sanders said.

"He said, 'It's an emergency,' and I needed to come over there," she recalled.

Dooley and Sanders called 911 and left for the couple's nearby mobile home.

Police found Hartner unresponsive and his wife unconscious. Authorities also recovered a gun they believe was used in the shooting.

"It appeared that there may have been some underlying medical conditions," said York County Sheriff's Office Capt. Jerry Hoffman. "That looks like that was his motive."

In May, Hartner told police his wife was "continuously disoriented" and that he could no longer take care of her, according to a report. Hartner told police he needed someone to move in and help take care of his wife but that he did not want her to go to a nursing home.

Two other reports, also filed in May, state that Hartner was suicidal and made death threats to his wife.

Another police report in October stated that Mildred Hartner showed signs of dementia.

Police documents state the Hartners had home health services during the week, but they shunned nursing home placement because a private room where they could be together was not available. Eventually, though, she was placed in a nursing home, the report states.

"She's been in and out of a nursing home," said next-door neighbor Billy McDaniel, who sometimes did yard work for the couple after Hartner became busy caring for his wife. "She'd stay two to three days, and he'd bring her back because he couldn't be at home without her."

During those stints Hartner stayed at the nursing home all day, McDaniel said.

"I'd speak to him out in the garden, and he'd cry, saying, 'I just can't take her being away.' Before you know it, he'd be pulling in (the driveway) with her."

McDaniel said Hartner was "wore out."

"Tending to the upkeep of her, I feel like he got tired," he said.

Hartner will be charged with murder when he is released from PMC, Hoffman said.

Those who know the couple are left with questions.

"His first priority was always Mrs. Mildred," Sanders said. "He painted her nails. He put her makeup on for her. ... You don't find many men who would do that. He loved her more than life itself."

This story was originally published November 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Slaying shatters love story."