John Jefferson
Left: Richard Scharf led out of his garage by law enforcement. Right: in jail (Lee County Sheriff’s Office).
An 80-year-old Florida husband allegedly went to church with his wife on Sunday and then smothered her to death with a pillow at home, claiming that the victim had been “suffering from Alzheimer’s” that had “progressively gotten worse over the years” and retirement money was drying up.
Richard Scharf of North Fort Myers is behind bars in Lee County and facing a murder charge as authorities allege that he killed his wife, wrote an apology note and attached it to a will, and then called his daughter to confess as he tried to take his own life inside the garage of his Kaidon Lane home on the afternoon of Sept. 22.
A probable cause statement obtained by Law&Crime says that the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the residence first after a caller reported that the defendant was threatening to take his own life after smothering his wife with a pillow.
Left: Richard Scharf detained. Right: in jail clothes (Lee County Sheriff’s Office).
When deputies got there, Scharf was allegedly sitting inside his SUV in the garage, was detained, and informed authorities he “took a large amount of over-the-counter medication in an attempt to kill himself.”
Inside the home, the victim was found “supine on her bed and was unresponsive,” court documents said. She was pronounced dead just after 2 p.m. that day. Also inside the residence was “a note on a desk that articulated an apology and was attached to a will,” deputies said.
The sheriff’s office said that the suspect and victim’s children, “who lived out of state, had been made aware of the incident by Richard during a phone conversation,” and that the asked someone in the neighborhood to check the home. One witness was able to open the garage door and was there when investigators arrived.
After he was read his Miranda rights, Scharf allegedly admitted that while he and his wife were driving back from church he “came to terms with the fact he was going to end the decedent’s pain and suffering,” mentioning worsening Alzheimer’s and “severe jaw pain.” He allegedly said that there was “financial stress as their retirement money is running out,” so he suffocated the victim while she napped.
From there, he’s accused of sitting inside the running SUV and calling his daughter to confess.
“After arriving home, the decedent went to take a nap in their bedroom. Richard then covered the decedent’s face with a bathroom towel and a pillow to smother her, After an hour, Richard knew the decedent had passed, so he left several notes for family members explaining what had occurred,” documents said. “Richard then went into their garage and started the SUV with the garage door closed, intending to commit suicide as he knew he was going to be arrested for the act committed. While inside the car, he called one of his daughters, confessed to what happened, and hung up the phone.”
Scharf has pleaded not guilty.
In a statement, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the “loss of life in this case is heartbreaking.”
“I’m thankful for my deputies and detectives that were able to close the case quickly,” the sheriff said.
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