Estranged husband is charged with killing Glenville native

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

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The estranged husband of a Glenville native has been formally charged with killing her in Florida, authorities said.

Robert Fein, 55, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., faces one count of first-degree murder in the September shooting of his estranged wife, Sharon Seymour, in the Port St. Lucie home they once shared.

Fein is accused of killing Seymour, then turning the gun on himself. She died at the scene, but he survived. He wasn’t formally charged until Thursday.

Seymour, 44, grew up in Glenville, graduating from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School in 1984. After graduation, she moved to New Jersey, where she met and married Fein.

Police were directed to the home Sept. 9 by Seymour’s sister, Lisa Seymour of Schenectady. Family members had gotten word that Sharon Seymour hadn’t returned to a friend’s home, as she had been expected to.

Her estranged husband had called her over for something related to their dog, which Fein had possession of, family members have said.

On Friday, Lisa Seymour said the family was thankful Fein had been formally charged.

“My sister and I, we cried,” Seymour said, referring to her sister, Debra Ryan, who lives in Glenville. “It’s been a big relief. Now we just want to see him get the death penalty.”

Lisa Seymour also said she was sickened by a letter allegedly left by Fein in the home. In the 34-page letter, Fein proclaimed his love for his estranged wife, even as he plotted to kill her. Excerpts from the letter are included in a Florida court filing obtained by Treasure Coast Newspapers.

The letter was in a notebook in the home’s kitchen. The notebook was opened to a page with instructions on how to care for the pets in the home.

“Sorry for all you out there that think this is sick, but it’s not,” Fine allegedly wrote. “I am totally sane.”

Lisa Seymour said Fein had been controlling for much of the 18-year marriage, and her sister had only recently gotten the courage to leave. They had moved to Florida a year before the killing.

Seymour’s killing marked the second tragedy for the family in just more than two years, the first being the suicide of her 14-year-old niece, Cherelle Clarke, in April 2009. Cherelle killed herself after intense bullying from other girls at school, the last in a related series of suicides by four girls in late 2008 and early 2009 that shocked the region.

Cherelle was the daughter of Lisa Seymour.