Woman suspected of killing husband in Ryan bought gun earlier this year

The .380 handgun used to kill Ryan businessman Terry Sauser on Sunday night was purchased earlier this year by the woman charged with first-degree murder in the slaying – his wife, Revette Sauser.

Revette Sauser, 42, obtained a permit to acquire weapons through the Delaware County Sheriff's Office around the middle of last year, according to Sheriff John LeClere.

“My understanding is that she used the permit to buy the .380 handgun sometime after the first of the year,” LeClere said.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Sheriff's Office are trying to determine if she bought the gun with any specific intention in mind, he said.

LeClere said he did not know if Revette Sauser owns any other firearms.

Revette Sauser, who is in the Delaware County Jail on a $1 million cash bond, did not have a permit to carry weapons in a concealed manner, and none would have been required to keep a weapon in the home, he said.

LeClere said deputies found Terry Sauser unconscious but alive in the living room of the home in the 400 block of South Street. He died in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.

Court documents filed Monday said Revette Sauser fired “one shot from a .380 handgun” into her husband's chest.

Although some firearm experts rate the .380 marginal for accuracy and stopping power, sales of the lightweight and compact handgun have increased dramatically in an era of heightened concern about personal security.