Elderly Florida man shoots dead 80-year-old wife with dementia before trying to kill himself but fails when gun malfunctions
VENICE, FLORIDA: A 94-year-old man was arrested on Monday, October 14, evening for fatally shooting his 80-year-old wife.
According to a report by the Venice Police Department, he had called 911 after he turned the gun on himself but it malfunctioned.
The elderly man, Wayne S. Juhlin, was arrested and taken into custody from his home at Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe which is an independent living facility. Juhlin's wife had been suffering from dementia and her name has not been released.
Juhlin had told authorities that he had planned on killing his wife at their residence on Monday. The Venice police announced that Juhlin had planned to "end her life" given that she was suffering from dementia.
Juhlin also shared that he had intended on taking his own life but his weapon malfunctioned. The police revealed that Juhlin's weapon would not fire again which "prevented him from carrying out the suicide portion of the event".
The 94-year-old has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder. He is being held at the Sarasota County Jail without bail.
According to the director of the Memory Clinic at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Danielle Valery, there are around 540,000 Florida residents living with dementia.
"People who are not familiar with the dementia situation here are going to be in for a big shock by how much this is going to cost, with so many baby boomers aging out," Valery told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Valery added how spouses who live with the "daily stress" of living with a loved one suffering from dementia do not look for the help they need. Another director at a senior citizens center shared that the circumstances that some of the elderly residents face are 'so incredibly sad'.
Paula Falk of the Venice Senior Friendship Center shared, "So many caregivers watch people they’ve been married to for 50, 60 years lose their identities, and their ability to care for themselves, and they suffer from depression because making these difficult choices isn’t something we spend our lives talking about".