BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – A former Summerville jewelry store owner is scheduled to stand trial next month for the nearly decade-old killing of his wife.
According to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, Michael Colucci will appear in general sessions court starting June 16 in Moncks Corner to face the charge of murder. Colucci is accused of killing his wife, Sara Moore-Colucci, on May 20, 2015.
His 2018 trial ended in a hung jury, and the judge declared a mistrial.
He was scheduled to go to trial a second time in May 2024, but the case was delayed. Assistant Attorney General Joel Kozak and Assistant Attorney General Kinli Abee will still be prosecuting the case, Robert Kittle, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office confirmed to The Berkeley Observer.
Colucci was not immediately charged in the death of his wife, Sara Lynn. One year prior to his arrest, he told investigators that she had hanged herself with a garden hose outside their business at 2206 North Main Street in Summerville on May 20, 2015. He claimed to have been sitting approximately 20 feet away in his vehicle at the time.
After taking office, Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said he was approached by Sara Lynn’s family, who voiced concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death.
SEE ALSO:
- Bond Set At $150,000 For Summerville Jeweler Charged With Wife’s Murder
- SLED: Jewelry Store Owner Arrested For 2015 Murder Of Wife
“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 the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), medical evidence showed Sara Lynn had not been strangled with a garden hose. Agents also stated that physical evidence from the scene contradicted Colucci’s account and instead suggested a struggle occurred shortly before her death.
In 2017, the Estate of Sara Lynn filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Colucci, a case that remains pending in court. In Sept. 2024, a judge granted an Order of Continuance. According to court records, “the Plaintiff has been unable to depose [question under oath] the Defendant while the criminal case remains unresolved.”
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The same year of the wrongful death lawsuit, tragedy struck the family again when Colucci’s stepfather, Ivo Colucci, fatally shot his wife, Doris, inside the family’s North Charleston jewelry store, according to police. Ivo Colucci was charged with murder but was later deemed unfit to stand trial. He died at age 84 in 2020 at Summerville Community Hospice House.
Court records show that Michael Colucci currently resides on Edisto Island as he awaits trial. He and Sara Lynn had been married for approximately three years at the time of her death.
