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Background: News footage of the parking lot where Richard Hocking allegedly shot his wife on Jan. 3 (KGO). Inset: Richard Hocking (Alameda County Sheriff”s Office).
Richard Hocking, who made the 911 call just after midnight on January 3, allegedly informed dispatchers that he had shot and killed his 86-year-old wife, identified as Patricia. The Fremont Police Department reported that Hocking expressed his intention to surrender after officers discovered Patricia deceased from a gunshot wound inside the couple’s van.
Court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate KGO reveal Hocking’s statements to the police about the incident, shedding light on his alleged motive. According to the police, Hocking mentioned that his wife had been battling health problems and suggested that taking her life was “necessary.”
Authorities stated that Hocking had been plotting Patricia’s death for approximately a month. He allegedly persuaded her to join him in their Ford Transit van and drove to a shopping center parking lot, where he then shot her in the head. Police noted that Hocking left their home that night with the premeditated intention of killing her.
KGO interviewed a neighbor familiar with the couple, who had shared 60 years of marriage. The neighbor disclosed that Patricia was afflicted with diabetes and additional health issues, rendering her almost reliant on a chair. The neighbor remarked that Hocking had been fully responsible for her care.
KGO spoke to a neighbor who knew the couple, who had been married for 60 years. One neighbor told the station that Patricia suffered from diabetes and other health issues. She told the station Patricia was “almost in [a] chair. Not able to do chores or anything. [Hocking] was taking care of her completely.”
Hocking reportedly has “serious” health issues of his own, including COPD, according to the couple’s neighbors.
Hocking was charged with murder with an enhancement for using a firearm. He is in custody at the Santa Rita Jail, where he is being held without bail. His plea hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12.
