Dean Ripa killed -- his wife charged with first-degree murder.

WILMINGTON -- Dean Ripa, a snake expert and owner of the Cape Fear Serpentarium, was killed in a shooting in an apartment above the downtown Wilmington attraction.

Ripa's wife, Regina, 40, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting, which happened shortly before 2:30 p.m. Saturday, police spokeswoman Cathryn Lindsay said.

"It was a domestic-related homicide in an apartment above the serpentarium," Lindsay said.

Regina Ripa was being held Saturday night at the New Hanover County Jail without bond, Lindsay said.

Dean Ripa, 60, was born in 1957 in Wilmington, according to a biography on the snake museum's website. He was a "snake hunter for hire" for zoos, laboratories and private interests before founding the serpentarium in 2001, the biography said.

"He has survived twelve venomous snakebites to date, including seven by bushmasters, surely the record number of envenomations by this deadly snake on any individual," the biography said.

Dean Ripa told the StarNews in a 2007 interview that he was first bitten by a snake -- though it wasn't venomous -- when he was 4 years old. He said that, after traveling the world, he decided to settle in Wilmington because his parents lived here.

The serpentarium remained open for hours after the shooting, with Lindsay saying at the time that the public was not in danger.

While police were investigating the scene, a wedding continued at the nearby Bakery 105.

"We didn't know what happened," said wedding guest Natalie Plunkett of Spartanburg, S.C. "We thought it may have been a wreck."

Reporter Tim Buckland can be reached at 910-343-2217 or Tim.Buckland@StarNewsOnline.com.