Man charged with murdering wife in Melbourne nursing home

An 88-year-old man has been charged in Melbourne Magistrate’s court with murdering his elderly wife.

The man rested his head in his hands in court, and when asked if he understood what was happening, replied, “No, I’m so sorry but I don’t,” according to a report in the Herald Sun.

The man’s lawyer asked the magistrate if his client could see a doctor once remanded.

The report states an elderly couple sat watching the man throughout the hearing, and as he was being led into custody he offered them a small wave.

Earlier in the week, the body of a 87-year-old woman, believes to be the man’s wife, had been found at Martin Luther Home at The Basin in Melbourne’s east.

The man was arrested at the scene, and detectives were called to investigate the death.

Martin Luther Homes’ management issued a statement to residents, staff and the broader community, with their condolences, and confirmed it is cooperating with police and will help with enquiries.

“The sad passing of a woman who lived in our independent living retirement village today has saddened all our staff, residents and families,” the statement said.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to family and friends.”

The statement said the nursing home’s management won’t make any further comment

Martin Luther Homes is a not-for-profit nursing home and retirement village aligned with the Lutheran Church.

A neighbour of the home told the ABC he was shocked to learn of the death.

“Nothing ever happens around here, especially next door — it’s just so quiet,” he said.

The man will appear in court again on 22 August.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. ive worked in a nursing home and was bullied by the assistants. I reported pressure wounds left untreated and rough handling of elderly. Right from the start it was a toxic culture. Management don’t check whats going on. Man fell when I was asked to attend tea room. I asked two nurses to keep an eye on him while he sat on the toilet. He tried to get up and fell and I got blamed for it. I ended up leaving. The old man probably felt sorry for his wife. Needs to be a big royal commissiion and shake up.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Intergenerational care brings fun and laughter to aged care facility in regional Victoria

In regional Victoria, an aged care facility has opened its gates to a brand new early childhood learning centre, enriching the lives of residents and children alike. Read More

Ratio of Nurses to Residents – What Does This Mean for Aged Care?

A recent Monash University study has shown that Australian nurses and midwives are at a high risk of burning out. A staggering 32% of nurses and midwives are considering leaving the profession. Some of the reasons they said were that they felt they are overworked and undervalued. The Monash Business School survey has been conducted... Read More

Art imitating life: in praise of the Murphy Brown reboot

Who knew that writing an article about the new iteration of Murphy Brown would broaden my education? And sharing that with you, just in case it’s also news to you, it turns out (according to Wikipedia) that the phrase that I’m familiar with, that “life imitates art”, was not only first voiced by Oscar Wilde,... Read More
Advertisement
Exit mobile version