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Fiddletown - Krista Clem O’Sullivan, whose
husband was allegedly shot dead after a dispute with his neighbor, now
faces the prospect of eviction from her Fiddletown ranch. Clem
O’Sullivan told TSPN she can’t afford the mortgage and is facing
mounting debt after her husband John O’Sullivan, 47, was allegedly shot
multiple times by former neighbor Kenneth John Zimmerman, 56, in
August. Zimmerman was subsequently arrested and booked in the Amador
County Jail on one count of murder. Clem O’Sullivan is struggling to
make payments on properties the couple owned and managed together in
Drytown and Shelter Cove. She said she is trying to work a business
deal to turn the latter into a “retreat home.” She said the bank was
working with her husband to schedule a payment plan but has not worked
with her since his death, and recently issued a 60-day notice saying
she must vacate the property. “The only hope I have right now is to
sell off our possessions,” she said. Any attempts to raise capital are
doubly hard because Clem O’Sullivan is also the full-time caretaker for
their four children, ages 2 through 14. She said she received a low
offer on her Chevy truck. She said the tractor her husband was riding
around the time of his death was taken for evidence and “you need a
tractor if you live on a ranch.” The Church of the Nazarene has offered
some assistance in helping her move. John O'Sullivan, a citizen of
Ireland, was an Amador County housing developer, and most recently
worked with Clem O’Sullivan on the Golden Vale housing development. The
couple were frequent attendees at meetings related to property
development. Clem O’Sullivan called her late husband a “popular,
ultra-generous man of his word, full of integrity and heart.” At a wake
at his parent’s home in Ireland, there was reported to be a 6-hour
procession to view his casket made up of friends and family from both
Ireland and California. “I’m completely overwhelmed,” said Clem
O’Sullivan. “I just can’t take it all on at once.” Story by Alex Lane
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