GASTONIA, N.C. (Court TV) — A former paramedic accused of killing his wife with eyedrops, setting fire to a medical helicopter and faking a kidnapping and assault is now asking a judge to move his trial.
Joshua Hunsucker is charged with the murder of his wife, Stacy, using eyedrops. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
Joshua Hunsucker, 41, is charged with first-degree murder, insurance fraud, and obtaining property in the death of his wife, Stacy Hunsucker, 32. He is separately charged with allegedly setting fire to a helicopter while he was on board in an attempt to distract from the charges. Joshua Hunsucker is also charged with witness intimidation for allegedly stalking Stacy Hunsucker’s parents, falsely accusing them of assault and allegedly attempting to poison his own child with eyedrops. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In a new filing this week, following his indictment for his wife’s alleged murder, Joshua Hunsucker has asked a judge to move his trial out of Gaston County, where he says he will not be able to have a fair trial. Joshua Hunsucker’s previous request for the trial to be moved, made in December 2021, was denied.
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Now, Joshua Hunsucker’s defense says the circumstances have changed, requiring a change of venue. The motion points to increased media attention, including a “major exclusive by People Magazine” and a “scholarly analytical feature” which “framed the Defendant within a national pattern of spousal poisoners in February 2026.” The motion also points to a story published by Court TV, noting that news of the superseding indictment in the case was published within days of its filing.
“The coverage has been continuous, inflammatory, and deeply prejudicial for over six years,” attorneys said in the filing. The motion acknowledges that a gag order has been issued in the case, but says the order “has not restrained the voluminous media, podcast, and social media coverage of this case.” It concludes, “The gag order has been wholly ineffective as a remedy for jury pool contamination. Venue transfer is the appropriate remedy.”
The motion concedes that a change in venue may be denied if the coverage is “factual and non-inflammatory,” but Joshua Hunsucker’s attorneys maintain the coverage in his case has been the opposite, noting “at least two separate public Facebook video posts have labeled the defendant ‘The Eye Drop Killer’— a guilt-presupposing nickname that has entered community discourse.”
If the court refuses to grant the motion to move the trial out of Gaston County, the motion requests that a special venire of jurors is brought in from outside the Charlotte-Gastonia television market area. That includes not only Gaston County, where Joshua Hunsucker is charged, but the entire area that receives broadcasts from Charlotte-based stations WCNC, WSOC and WBTV.
No hearing has been scheduled on the request.
