In Florida, a former county official is accused of “helping” his 90-year-old grandfather by allegedly administering a lethal mix of Ambien, morphine, and other prescription drugs, according to law enforcement.

Christopher Balter, 35, faces charges of delivering a controlled substance and forgery. He allegedly attempted to falsify signatures on a “quitclaim deed”—a legal document for transferring real estate ownership—just weeks before his grandfather Gilbert Balter passed away on February 1, as police report.

An arrest affidavit details how Christopher Balter allegedly confessed to friends about killing his grandfather while the elderly man was under home hospice care in Brevard County earlier this year. He purportedly claimed in phone conversations that Gilbert Balter “never wanted to live like that” and asked his grandson to end his life.

“I didn’t kill him. I helped him out,” Christopher Balter explained in a message to Kristen Rutherford, a long-time friend who later reported him to authorities.

“By giving him medication he wasn’t prescribed,” Rutherford responded. Balter replied, “Yes, and I would have done the same for you if needed.” Investigators discovered that while Gilbert Balter had not been prescribed Ambien, Christopher Balter had received Ambien prescriptions several times previously, according to the affidavit.

On Feb. 3, Rutherford went to the police station to report Gilbert Balter’s death, but when she arrived, she saw that Christopher Balter was already waiting in the parking lot of the station.

“For this reason, she turned around and went home,” according to Balter’s affidavit.

She allegedly then contacted police and told them that Balter was texting and talking openly over the phone about killing his grandfather.

Rutherford handed over the messages from Balter and was interviewed about what he had been allegedly saying. The text messages and conversations are cited in the arrest affidavit, as is a phone call that cops recorded.

“People do that all the time to help people out,” Balter allegedly said during the call, which Rutherford made from the police station while cops listened in.

“That is what hospice is,” he allegedly told her. “They load them full of f—ing pain meds and ease their way out.” To which Rutherford said,  “Yea but you’re not hospice.”

Balter allegedly replied, “We were in hospice care dosing him; that’s what hospice at home is. …  You’re thinking about yourself in this which is very selfish.”

Asked how the alleged killing went down and whether he “injected” his grandpa, Balter said, “I did not inject him. I gave it to him in his mouth,” according to the affidavit.

“He didn’t want to be spitting up and spuing [sic] on himself like he was,” Balter allegedly added, noting how he wanted to “help him to his next life,” per cops.

“So, if that helps you sleep at night, yes,” Balter allegedly said.

The hospice company hired by Gilbert Balter, Amedisys Hospice, confirmed to police that Christopher Balter was Gilbert’s emergency contact and grandson. Gilbert’s health deteriorated over several days, from Jan. 29 to his death on Feb. 1, while hospice workers visited, according to investigators. Gilbert was allegedly being given Haldol, liquid morphine and Lorazepam in addition to Ambien.

“During these visits, Gilbert Balter was in a ‘coma’ like state and was non-verbal,” the affidavit says. This allegedly confirmed a statement provided by Christopher Balter that his grandfather was in a “vegetative” state before he died, but cops noticed something during the death investigation.

“Chris Balter alleged Gilbert Balter was in this state for four days, but hospice records prove Gilbert Balter was still alert on January 30, 2025 (two days before his death),” the affidavit says.

In fact, according to police, 19 days before Gilbert Balter’s death, he had a conversation with his hospice case manager where they spoke about his desire to “live longer,” contrary to his grandson’s claims that he asked to die.

The night before Gilbert Balter began hospice care, Christopher Balter went to Rutherford and tried to get her to sign his quitclaim deed for his grandfather’s home. When she refused, Christopher Balter forged her signature on the notarized document, police said.

“He is such a user,” Rutherford told a friend in a text after Balter had asked her to sign the deed. “Makes my skin crawl.”

Christopher Balter was working as Indian River County’s director of planning and development before his arrest on Aug. 3. He has since resigned from the position.