Ellen Gilland, 76, who shot dead terminally ill husband Jerry in hospital room is denied bond
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
DAYTONA, FLORIDA: An elderly Florida woman who fatally shot her terminally ill husband in a hospital after making a murder-suicide pact was reportedly denied bond. Ellen Gilland, 76, shot her 77-year-old husband Jerry Gilland at the AdventHealth Daytona Beach hospital saying her husband wasn't strong enough to pull the trigger before she attempted to pull the trigger on herself on January 21.
However, Ellen backed off the plan and confined herself to the room, refusing to lose the gun. After an hour-long standoff, she finally surrendered and was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of aggressive assault with a deadly weapon with an intent to kill. Even though the judge appeared to sympathize with the situation, Ellen was denied bond claiming her actions were "premeditated murder" and the state doesn't allow mercy killings, according to Fox News.
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Ellen Gilland has entered the courtroom for her bond hearing. She is charged with first-degree premeditated murder of her husband. Authorities have called the murder a failed murder suicide attempt. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/3eC6Y7aOxF
— Dave Puglisi (@DavePuglisiTV) February 10, 2023
What happened at Ellen Gilland's trial?
The college sweethearts Ellen and Jerry had pre-planned the murder-suicide pact, following Jerry's deteriorating health. An investigator explained in court that on the day of the tragic shooting, Jerry did not have enough strength to pull the trigger. So he loaded the gun and held his wife's wrist as she fired. A psychiatrist who evaluated Ellen said she had become depressed because her husband was terminally ill. However, the psychiatrist noted her mental health is showing signs of improvement since the shooting, reported Daily Mail.
The court hearing also heard testimony from Jerry's niece. The niece claimed the pair loved and supported each other and that she does not hold any resentment toward Ellen. Chief Jakari E Young of the Daytona Beach Police Department said, “Even after the initial shooting, she never tried to get up and leave, so everything was confined to the room.“ He added, "At no time were any of the hospital staff threatened, or any other patients.”
'He wanted her to end this!'
"Apparently because he was terminally ill, they had a conversation about it and they actually planned this approximately three weeks ago that if he continued to take a turn for the worst that he wanted her to end this," Young said. "Obviously, we're unsure how she brought that gun into the hospital, but this was planned." "It's a tragic circumstance because it just shows that none of us are immune from the trials and tribulations of life," Young added.
