Dying Florida man tried to kill wife twice because he did not want her to be alone: affidavit

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Published  October 29, 2024 4:18pm PDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Man, 93, accused of attempting to kill wife twice

Authorities say a 93-year-old man attempted to kill his wife twice in an effort to take her with him to the grave.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - A 93-year-old Florida man reportedly admitted to deputies that he tried to kill his wife twice in the last two weeks because he did not want her to be alone after he died, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. 

Helmut Lockner was arrested on Saturday and booked into the Marion County on a charge of attempted first-degree premeditated murder. He's accused of trying to strangle his wife by placing a rope around her neck while she was watching TV, the arrest report said. Two weeks earlier, he allegedly tried to suffocate her with a pillow while the two were lying down. 

The wife told deputies that the two have been married for some 60 years and have lived together for just as long, according to the report.

According to the report, the wife told deputies that Saturday started as a normal day. The man mentioned that he was in a lot of pain and mentioned that he wanted to die several times, which was apparently normal, the wife said, according to the report.

The two were watching TV in separate chairs when the husband got up and walked away. The woman said she did not realize her husband had walked behind her chair. Suddenly, she felt something choking her around her neck, she said, according to the report. She was able to get her fingers under the rope and free herself. She ran to the patio and called 911.

Deputies observed bruising on the side of the woman's neck, scrapes on her chin, and cuts on her arm, 

The man told deputies that he was dying "and did not want to leave his wife alone," according to the arrest report. While the wife was on the phone with 911, he reportedly could he heard in the background saying, "you can die with me."

He was transported to the hospital for an evaluation before being transported to the Marion County Jail. 

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