ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) — An elderly Florida man is behind bars after allegedly admitting to police that he murdered his wife in their home over the weekend.
William Simmons is charged with first-degree murder in his wife’s shooting death. (Orange County Jail)
William Ellwood Simmons, 80, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Nancy Simmons, 83.
William called 911 to report his wife’s death himself, allegedly telling dispatchers that his wife “was down, and I’m just sitting here.” When officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Nancy was face down in the kitchen. She was unresponsive and had a gunshot wound to her upper body. Next to her on the floor was a shotgun and one spent shell casing, officers said.
William spoke to investigators at the scene and said that he and his wife had been arguing in the kitchen over going on a cruise. Nancy cursed at him repeatedly, prompting William to go to his bedroom closet and retrieve his shotgun. Officers said that he returned, pointed the gun at Nancy and threatened to pull the trigger.
Nancy allegedly replied, “F*** you, you bastard.” Officers said William then shot her once, killing her.
After reading William his Miranda rights, officers said that he blamed his wife’s dementia for his actions. He said that “he loved the old Nancy and that he would rather live in prison than to deal with her.”
William is being held without bond in the Orange County jail.
