81-Year-Old “Devil” Woman “Went From Sweet Grandma" to Killing Husband in His Sleep

Margaret Kellis, known by her friends as “Frankie,” called 911 at 7:21 a.m. on July 20, 2016, and told the operator, “I think my husband’s dead.” The 81-year-old claimed she couldn’t perform CPR on him because she was disabled. But when police arrived at her Aberdeen, North Carolina home, they realized 76-year-old Dallas Kellis had been shot in the back of his head and neck as he slept.

“She said she went to McDonald’s, got a ham biscuit, she went by the post office, and came back home,” said Bradley Whitaker, Moore Co. Sheriff’s Captain, on Snapped, airing Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen.

Kellis claimed it was a robbery, and her husband’s watch and wallet were missing. But police immediately saw red flags.

“The house is immaculate. Very clean. Organized. That stuck out. That was odd. Immediately there was something suspicious here,” said Anthony Guerra, Pinehurst Police Detective, on Snapped.

Kellis told police she and her husband only had one gun: an old rifle collecting dust in her home. But within days of Dallas Kellis’ murder, police got a call that changed the investigation.

“At this point, we’re, you know, thinking that she’s not this sweet old lady that she portrays herself to be,” Guerra said.

After first dating while in their 20s, Dallas and Margaret Kellis reconnected in their 70s in 2010, after both lost marriages and spouses. They married in February 2011.

“They didn’t date very long before they got married. Because it’s like, you’re older, why wait? You never know when it’s going to be your last day,” said Candace Freeman, Margaret Kellis’ granddaughter, on Snapped.

Family were the first to tell police that despite what she claimed, Kellis was known to carry a revolver with her wherever she went.

“A lot of family members didn’t seem real close to her,” Whitaker said. “And a lot of them appeared to have trust issues with her.”

Dallas Kellis was Margaret’s fourth husband. All wound up dead. Her grandson told police that her family believed she was involved with the deaths of her other husbands.

“We actually heard one rumor that she went for a honeymoon with a husband and came back with an urn,” Rora Kellis, Dallas’s nephew, said on Snapped.

Margaret Kellis also had a criminal past.

“Frankie went by different aliases. She had different social security numbers, different social security cards,” Guerra said. “Frankie would sell her prescription medication. She had charges for prescription fraud, regular fraud, shoplifting.”

Margaret Kellis had just been released from federal prison on drug charges when she met Dallas Kellis.  

When police tried to interview Margaret Kellis a second time, she’d abandoned her home. During a search, officers found Dallas’ missing wallet and watch in Margaret’s dresser, calling into question her claims of robbery.

“I mean, you are a sweet, innocent, helpless lady. Your husband just was murdered. Why lie?” Guerra said.

Margaret "Frankie" Kellis. Photo: Oxygen

Police also discovered fraudulent checks in the home.

“There were several checks made out to Dallas and the signature on it said Dallas, but it was quite apparent the signature wasn’t Dallas,’” said Eric Galloway, Moore Co. Sheriff’s Major, on Snapped.

Police said Dallas Kellis had accrued about $39,000 of debt since marrying Margaret.

“The evidence we found in the house gave us the impression that Mr. Kellis was being bled dry,” Whitaker said. “I feel like Frankie knew she had bled Dallas out with as much money as she could get, and that he was about to cut her off.”

Dallas Kellis’ sister called police to tell them about her encounter with Margaret the day her brother died. She alleged that Margaret called her at 7:06 a.m. to report Dallas’ death. But Margaret didn’t call 911 until 7:21 a.m.

“That’s a big red flag that you’re gonna call 911 fifteen minutes later,” Whitaker said.

Police also conducted a gunshot residue test of Margaret’s hands when they first interviewed her after her husband’s murder. Although the results were deemed inconclusive, Margaret’s behavior got their attention.

“As they’re explaining the process to her, she actually begins to wipe her hands with a rag.” Guerra said. “The captain later on grabbed it, and he smelt it, and he said, ‘Hey, this smells like bleach.’ Which was again, another big red flag to us. Why are you wiping your hands down with bleach?”

Margaret’s clothes that police took from her home during their search also contained gunshot residue.

“I believe that Frankie was spending Dallas’ money, without him knowing at first. Dallas found out and confronted Frankie before his murder,” Guerra said. “To come up with a story to tell law enforcement, she did go to McDonald’s. She got food for one, came back home, called Dallas’ sister, told her in a way what happened to I think cover her tracks, and then decided to call 911.”

With a mostly circumstantial case against Margaret Kellis, prosecutors offered her a plea deal in June 2019. She pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was released from prison in October 2023.

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