One Heart, Two Husbands: Both Suicides?

Police Investigate Death Of Heart Transplant Recipient Who Had Married Widow Of Donor

(AP)  Georgia investigators are continuing to look into the death of a heart transplant recipient whose body was found earlier this month in the back yard of his Vidalia, Ga., home.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent Todd Lowery tells The Island Packet of Hilton Head that the agency's ruling that 69-year-old Sonny Graham committed suicide was preliminary. Graham was found in a utility building in his back yard with a gunshot wound to the throat.

"We won't say definitely it was a suicide," Lowery said.

Lowery said investigators are conducting interviews and waiting for results of Graham's toxicology report, which could take several weeks.

Sonny Graham lived on Hilton Head Island for about 40 years. He was director of the Heritage golf tournament from 1979 to 1983 and returned to the event every year to volunteer, friends said.

It was while he was living on Hilton Head that Graham got the heart transplant that saved his life. The 33-year-old donor, Terry Cottle, had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Summerville.

In 1997, two years after receiving the transplant, Graham met the donor's widow, Cheryl, after corresponding with her through the agency that arranged the organ donation. In 2001, he bought her and her four children a home in Vidalia and in 2004, the two married. He was 65, she was 38.

The Island Packet reported last week that Graham was her fifth husband.

The husband before Graham, John Johnson, told the newspaper he met Cheryl Cottle while the two were working at the maximum security Georgia State Prison. Cottle, a licensed practical nurse, worked in the infirmary.

Johnson said their marriage started out happily, but soured, and they divorced in 2004. She married Graham later that year.

Telephone messages left this weekend at a listing for Cheryl and Sonny Graham in Vidalia, Ga., were not returned. A phone message left a week earlier also was not returned.

The Island Packet reported that a woman who answered the phone Thursday at Cheryl Graham's workplace, Serenity Hospice, said Graham was not there and it was unclear when she would return.

The newspaper also contacted a previous employer, Community Hospice, in Vidalia. A spokesman there would not comment, saying Cheryl Graham is involved in a lawsuit with the hospice.

[Possibill]

two men with the same heart, both commiting suicide the same way could be a far cry from coincidence. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is!" "The heart is treacherous... who can know it?" This is certainly not the first time that a heart transplant recipient has taken on characteristics of the donor, but, it may be the first time he''s taken the donor''s wife. And, as far the wife, is she was attracted to the donor''s heart before, why shouldn''t she still be? After all, she may be marrying based on attraction more than anything else...

[ranger1948]

assasilin
I agree you have a right to your opinions but i wouldn''t want you serving on a jury if i were charged with something. You seem to forget conviction is supposed to be based on evidence. The news always slants a story to make it sellable. We do not have all the facts to this case and shouldn''t make a judgement until we do.

[quetzal0666]

Man, this woman should be outlawed from marrying, seems she drives her husbands to kil themselves,
must be a horrible woman to live with!!!!!

[sassalin]

Previous post was meant to be directed to "advanceus"

[sassalin]

Mythoughtsr,

I can make as many judgments as I like. Her being married five times tells me she makes poor decisions. Being married five times and not having a stable life for her children tells me she is a bad mother. Marrying someone 27 years older and fifth marriage tells me she is a gold digger. These "judgments" lead me to believe the lawsuit is just for money, nothing else.

I don''t need to know this woman. I just need to see her actions. I could be wrong but when things don''t fit or make sense there is always a reason why and most of the time in this day and age it is evil.

[suzieh2308]

Either there is something fishy going on with this lady or she is like the worst wife ever, to have two of her five husbands decide they would rather kill themselves than spend another day with her lol - jk but it would b a crazy coincidence if they both were genuinely suicides with no foul play

[ranger1948]

johnnyapple8
You are right, to commit suicide by shooting yourself in the throat is unusual and very painful if you don''t die quickly. But who said he shot himself in the throat ? A reporter ? We don''t know where this statement came from. There would be a lot of blood with this type of wound but maybe he placed the gun under his chin and shot himself. We don''t know yet. That is why we have forensic experts to collect the evidence and let the police build a case if there is one.

[ranger1948]

mythoughts
I agree with you. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty. Let the facts come out before you jump to conclusions. So she is suing an ex employer. What does that have to do with this case? Many people have filed lawsuits against their ex employers. If this had happeneded to you you would most certainly want to have your day in court before you were convicted.

[jetlizhan]

at age 38 she was on husband #5?? something''s fishy about this widow and it stinks to high heaven.

[missybelle-2009]

Don''t you all think that the "facts" that are reported in this article are a little slanted? Sensationalism always sells... sounds like bad choices and tough luck for this woman, but not necessarily anything sinister.

[bgm19751]

This is very suspicious thats for sure. 5 husbands and 2 commited suicide? Who knows, and I can''t really say much since I''m sure the article leaves out a lot of details. Still, it''s probably better to let the police and the courts to decide what happened instead of making wild speculation, but we are all entitled to express our opinions.

[mythoughtsr]

Mythoughts, sounds like you live in the perfect world, where all is good and honest. She has been married five times, in a law suit with a previous employer. I bet they find something fishy.

Posted by advanceus

The article clearly mentions 3 husbands. Two committed suicide. Being in a lawsuit with a previous employer says ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about this woman as a person. While two deaths are suspicious, I don''t need non-qualified idiots like those who post on this board to come to their "expert" opinions about this woman. Morons in this country constantly try and convict people based on a few paragraphs but the idiotic press. We know NOTHING about this woman, her history, her life, her marriages, her finances, her legal issues, NOTHING. We have no right to judge her and by doing so, you all make fools out of yourselves. No way in this freakish country would I have a jury for so much as a parking ticket. People are judgmental loons.

Oh and yes, thanks, my life, to me, is quite perfect. Thanks for the compliment!

[advanceus]

Mythoughts, sounds like you live in the perfect world, where all is good and honest. She has been married five times, in a law suit with a previous employer. I bet they find something fishy.

[mythoughtsr]

I think it''s despicable that people are trying to contact her at her home and calling her ex. It''s really sick. It''s none of my business. Can you imagine how this woman feels? She''s lost two husbands to a horrible death and people are following her, calling her? Freedom of the press? Harassment is more like it. Shameful.

[gmond]

Hmm, she also happened to work at a maximum security prison...this is going to make one heck of a Lifetime movie

[termtex01]

".......and she''''''''s suing her former employer too. This is not right, something definitely wrong here. Posted by ssm9451 at 06:59 PM : Apr 13, 2008

WHOA! Do you know more than the article says?

Posted by cattlekate at 10:28 PM : Apr 13, 2008"

Not sure if that''s what the article meant.....


"The newspaper also contacted a previous employer, Community Hospice, in Vidalia. A spokesman there would not comment, saying Cheryl Graham is involved in a lawsuit with the hospice."

[johnnyapple8]

why shoot yourself in the throat if you are to commit suicide...I don''t know anybody who would or have shot themselves in the thorat to commit suicide...it would be such a painful and agonizing death....this lady sounds like shes trouble...

[dsr57]

What a worthles Pr!ck! That heart could have went to someone who wouldn''t have taken the Cowards way out.

I think it''s horrible to get a second chance at life and then waste it by killing yourself. I wish they could dig him up kick him in the nuts and take the heart back.

[noirceur]

kyanna1 you need to read the story.It says 4 kids not 5.And no where does it say anything about anybody being a Dr.You must work for one of the news stations.They all get stories wrong too.

[ranger1948]

Again people are reading what is reported which always leaves out a lot of details or twists thm to make them sound interesting. We should all wait to hear tthe evidence before deciding whether she is guilty or not. Wouldn''t you like to have a jury that hasn''t convicted you before hand ?