Mary Beth Harshbarger was born in 1965 and lived with her husband Mark and their two children in Meshoppen, Pennsylvania. She married Mark Harshbarger on June 23, 2001. The couple shared a passion for hunting and outdoor life, regularly taking hunting trips together. In the months before the incident, the couple reportedly increased their life insurance policies.

Although the family appeared outwardly close, Mark’s relatives later claimed there was tension in the marriage. After Mark’s death, Mary Beth began a relationship with Mark’s brother Barry Harshbarger, which further fueled suspicion among Mark’s family.

On the evening of September 14, 2006, Mary Beth was hunting with Mark, their children, and Mark’s brother Barry near Buchans Junction, Newfoundland. According to her testimony, she waited with her children in the back of their truck while Mark and a guide tried to flush a black bear from the woods.

Around 7:55 p.m., Mary Beth observed a dark figure emerging from the treeline. She stated she looked twice through the rifle scope and believed she was seeing a bear. She fired one shot, striking Mark Harshbarger in the abdomen. He was approximately 200 feet from the truck, wearing dark clothing without high-visibility gear.

Mary Beth insisted she never saw the blue of his pants and was convinced she was shooting at game. At trial, hunting guides and RCMP officers testified that visibility was poor and that the shape she saw could plausibly be mistaken for a bear.

Canadian authorities charged her with criminal negligence causing death, and she was eventually extradited to stand trial in Newfoundland. Prosecutors argued she knew her husband was in the woods and that her failure to clearly identify the target was reckless.

After a non-jury trial, the judge ruled the shooting was accidental, acquitting her in 2010.