A 91-year-old Florida man allegedly spent weeks planning to kill his wife before shooting her inside their home, telling investigators he believed he was keeping a promise never to place her in a nursing home.
William Albert Lippold has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm in the death of his 87-year-old wife, Mary Lippold, according to court records.
Deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the couple’s home on Como Court in St. Augustine shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
The couple’s son had called 911 and reported that his father had killed his mother, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When deputies arrived, they ordered William Lippold and his 63-year-old son, David Lippold, to come out of the residence.
As officers secured the scene, William allegedly made a blunt and unsolicited confession.
“It’s not complicated, I shot my wife,” he told deputies, according to the affidavit.
Inside the master bedroom, investigators found Mary dead on the bed. A firearm, a spent shell casing and a note were reportedly found nearby, with blood surrounding her body.
David told detectives that his father called him that morning and said, “I did something bad, I need you to come over.”
When David arrived, his father allegedly asked him to sit down before revealing that he had killed Mary.
David then entered the bedroom and found his mother “obviously deceased,” with blood, a gun and a note close to her body, according to the affidavit.
William allegedly told his son that he had attempted to kill himself after the shooting by placing a plastic bag over his head, but “ultimately couldn’t do it.”
David also told investigators that his father had been Mary’s sole caregiver.
During an interview after being read his Miranda rights, William allegedly admitted that he had been planning the killing for about a month.
He described Mary as blind and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, telling investigators he had previously promised that he would never place her in a nursing home.
“William said he had previously promised his wife he would never put her in a nursing home, so he views this as keeping his promise to her,” the affidavit states.
William also allegedly described text messages and emails he had exchanged with his adult children about the stress he was experiencing while caring for Mary.
Investigators said William recently purchased the gun used in the shooting and went to a firing range to learn how to use it.
He also allegedly planned to suffocate himself with a plastic bag after killing his wife, but said the suicide attempt failed.
Detectives canvassing the neighborhood spoke with one resident who reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot at around 11 p.m. the previous night.
Neighbors described William and Mary as well-liked members of the community.
“Well, she was blind, and frail. And then he started getting even frailer,” neighbor Bill Meyers told Jacksonville CBS affiliate WJXT.
“But they were a really nice couple, and everybody’s heart broke.”
Meyers added, “Everybody in the neighborhood’s heart broke because we all loved the guy and we’d do anything for him.”
William remained in custody on the murder charge as of Wednesday.
Court records did not show whether he had hired an attorney or when he was expected to appear before a judge.
