Coroner changes cause of death
Family relieved by updated ruling
Susan Winters, the 48-year-old Oklahoma native whose death two years ago in Henderson, Nevada, was initially ruled a suicide, may not have killed herself.
This week, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg changed the cause of Winters’ death from suicide to undetermined, after originally finding that she killed herself at home with a deadly cocktail of antifreeze and painkillers on Jan. 3, 2015.
“We received additional evidence from the Henderson Police Department, and so decided to change the cause of death to undetermined,” Fudenberg said Thursday.
Fudenberg said he couldn’t share with the public what that evidence was.
Winters was born in Altus and attended Blanchard High School. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma and became an attorney.
Winters’ parents believe their daughter was killed by her 54-year-old husband, Gregory Brent Dennis. In February, police arrested Dennis on suspicion of open murder with a deadly weapon in connection with Winters’ death.
After their daughter’s death, Avis and Danny Winters hired private investigators to look into the matter, filed a lawsuit alleging that Dennis was responsible, and pressed for law enforcement to reopen the case.
“We’re relieved, pleased that it was upgraded,” said Avis Winters, regarding the coroner’s new ruling. “We’re just waiting for the slow wheels of justice.”
Avis and Danny Winters, of Oklahoma City, run several Sonic Drivein franchises. They believe that Dennis — who operated a Boulder City, Nevada, mental health clinic before the state Board of Psychological Examiners suspended his license after his arrest — killed Susan Winters to gain about $2 million in life insurance and inheritance money.
Dennis grew up in Blanchard and played defensive back for the University of Tulsa. He struggled with a substance abuse addiction, according to a declaration of arrest. Avis and Danny Winters believe Dennis was using their daughter’s money to buy drugs.
Dennis is free on $250,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21.
Attorneys for Avis and Dennis Winters could not immediately be reached for comment. Dennis’ lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, also could not be reached for comment.
Schonfeld previously told The Oklahoman that the preliminary hearing “will be the first opportunity to present evidence that’s favorable to Mr. Dennis.”