An elderly Florida man allegedly shot his wife dead in an argument over going on a cruise — telling cops that “he would rather live in prison” than deal with her worsening dementia, according to an affidavit.
William Elwood Simmons, 80, called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 5:15 p.m. Saturday to confess to murdering his wife, Nancy, 83, at their Orlando home, according to an affidavit obtained by The Post.
Simmons said his wife “was down” and “not able to talk to anybody anymore,” while he was “just sitting” there awaiting officers, the affidavit states.
Nancy was found on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to her upper body and a shotgun nearby with one spent shell casing, the affidavit states. She was pronounced dead at 6 p.m.
Her husband “stated he was guilty and he shot his wife. He confirmed they were in the kitchen arguing over going on a cruise,” the arresting officer said in the affidavit.
“Nancy told him multiple times, ‘f–k you, you b–tard,’ which triggered Simmons. Simmons went into his bedroom, and into his closet to grab his shotgun. He came back to the kitchen and told Nancy he had enough and he could pull the trigger,” the affidavit states.
“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.