In Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne, who is accused of murder?

In Stephen King's Dolores Claiborne, Dolores Claiborne is accused of murdering Vera Donovan.

The accusation begins when Dolores is found near Vera's body after the wealthy woman falls down a staircase. Vera is Dolores's longtime employer on Little Tall Island, Maine, and the suspicious circumstances make the local community believe Dolores has finally committed murder after years of rumors about her husband's death.

Dolores did in fact cause the death of her husband, Joe St. George, by tricking him into falling into a well and then striking him when he tried to escape. However, Joe's death is officially ruled an accident. That earlier killing is the central reason people already suspect Dolores when Vera dies.

The novel is structured as Dolores's statement to police, rather than as a conventional scene-by-scene narrative. She explains that Vera died after falling from her wheelchair and that Dolores intended to help end her suffering, but Vera died before Dolores could act. The 1992 psychological thriller was adapted into a 1995 film starring Kathy Bates.