Retrial to get underway Monday for former Summerville jeweler accused of killing his wife

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The retrial for a former Summerville jeweler accused of killing his wife in 2015 is set to get underway Monday in Berkeley County.

The trial for Michael Colucci was slated to begin last May; however, the judge overseeing the case decided to continue the trial due to its potential length. Officials stated at the time that the judge and her staff were unavailable during the original trial dates.

A mistrial was declared in the case of Michael Colucci in December 2018 after a jury could not come to a unanimous decision on whether he killed his wife, Sara Lynn Moore-Colucci, in May 2015.

Berkeley County deputies discovered Moore-Colucci’s body outside the couple’s North Main Street business. At the time, Colucci told investigators that her death was a suicide, saying Moore-Colucci had hung herself with a garden hose sometime after exiting the couple’s vehicle.

Affidavits stated that medical evidence and evidence collected at the scene did not support Colucci’s version of what happened, even indicating there was a fight or struggle.

Colucci was arrested by agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in May 2016 after Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis requested state police further investigate the case.

He was accused of strangling his wife to death.

The jury deliberated for more than seven hours across two days in early December 2018 before acknowledging that they could not reach a decision. A mistrial was declared.

He faced a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.