In a tragic incident, an elderly man from Florida is accused of fatally shooting his wife during a dispute about taking a cruise. According to an affidavit, he reportedly told authorities that he would prefer life in prison over continuing to manage his wife’s advancing dementia.
The accused, 80-year-old William Elwood Simmons, contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday to admit to killing his 83-year-old wife, Nancy, at their home in Orlando, as detailed in an affidavit obtained by The Post.
Simmons described his wife as being “down” and unable to communicate with anyone, while he sat awaiting the arrival of the officers, the document states.
Nancy was discovered lying on the kitchen floor, suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body. Nearby, officers found a shotgun with one used shell casing. She was declared deceased at 6 p.m., according to the affidavit.
The arresting officer noted that Simmons admitted his guilt and confessed to shooting his wife. He confirmed that the couple had been arguing in the kitchen about going on a cruise when the incident occurred.
According to the affidavit, Nancy repeatedly yelled profanities at Simmons, which allegedly provoked him. Simmons then retrieved a shotgun from his bedroom closet, returned to the kitchen, and told Nancy he had reached his limit and was capable of pulling the trigger.
“Nancy told him, ‘f–k you, you b–tard,’ and he pointed the shotgun at her and shot her one time,” the affidavit continued.
“Simmons stated he had dealt with her dementia for too long and stated that he loved the old Nancy, and that he would rather live in prison than to deal with her,” the affidavit states.
Simmons was appointed a public defender at his request, according to an affidavit of indigency obtained by The Post.
The Post has approached Orange County Sheriff’s Office for further details about Simmons’ case.
