Retrial Set For Berkeley County Jeweler Accused Of Killing Wife

PICTURED: Michael Colucci (CREDIT: Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office)

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – A new trial date has been set for a Berkeley County jeweler accused of killing his wife nearly a decade ago.

On May 4, 2016, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged Michael Colucci, formerly of Moncks Corner, with the murder of his wife, Sara Lynn Moore-Colucci. Ultimately, his 2018 trial ended in a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

A new trial is scheduled to start May 13. Assistant Attorney General Joel Kozak and Assistant Attorney General Kinli Abee will prosecute the case, according to Robert Kittle, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Colucci was not immediately charged with his wife’s murder. A year before his arrest, he claimed that she hung herself with a garden hose outside the couple’s business at 2206 North Main Street in Summerville on May 20, 2015 as he sat approximately 20 feet away, seated in his vehicle.

However, shortly after Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis took office, he said Sara Lynn’s family expressed concerns to him about her death.

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“After hearing their concerns, I pulled the case file and reviewed it, looked at the incident report, the statements and the photos,” Lewis said in 2016. “Based upon what I saw, I felt that having SLED come in and investigate the case was the best approach to make sure that a thorough investigation was completed.”

According to SLED, medical evidence collected from Sara Lynn determined that she was not strangled with a garden hose. Agents also said that evidence collected from the scene contradicted Colucci’s version of events and instead indicated that a fight or struggle took place right before his wife died.

In 2017, the Estate of Sara Lynn filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Colucci. The case is still pending in court, records show.

That same year, tragedy struck a second time. Michael’s stepfather, Ivo Colucci, shot and killed his wife, Doris, at the family’s North Charleston jewelry store, police said. He was charged with murder; however, he was later deemed unfit to stand trial. He died at Summerville Community Hospice House at age 84 in 2020.

Court records indicate that Michael is currently residing on Edisto Island as he awaits trial. He and Sara Lynn were married for about three years before her death.