Florida Man Says He Killed Sick Wife Because He Couldn’t Afford Medication

An 86-year-old man in Florida told authorities he fatally shot his ailing wife because he could no longer afford her medication.

According to the New York Times,William J. Hager said he shot his wife Carolyn, 78, in the head while she slept Monday morning in their Port St. Lucie home. They had been married for more than 50 years and she had been sick for the past 15 months, and they could no longer afford the medication she needed.

Hager, who has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, told authorities that after he shot his wife, he drank coffee and called his children to let them know what he had done before he called the police.

“He was perfectly clear on that he was going to be arrested and go to jail, but again, he felt that this is where it had gotten to him and this was his course of action,” Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Garry Wilson said, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. “He showed emotion and he was very clear that he was out of options in his mind.”