Prosecutor will seek sentence for lesser crime after man is convicted of killing ailing wife
The mandatory sentence for a 68-year-old Ohio man convicted of killing his ailing wife is life in prison.
But an Ohio prosecutor says she will seek a lesser manslaughter sentence for John Wise, report the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Associated Press. The lesser charge could mean a sentence of only six years in prison. Wise is due to be sentenced on Monday after his conviction for aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault.
Wise had shot his wife of 45 years, Barbara, while she was in an Akron hospital being treated for several cerebral aneurysms. Wise had contended he shot his wife because he couldn’t stand to see her in pain.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced her decision in a statement. “What Mr. Wise did was illegal and very dangerous,” she said. “He killed someone, and he endangered the lives of everyone in the hospital.
“However, the minimum punishment for aggravated murder with a firearm specification is life in prison with the earliest parole possibility after 23 years. As prosecutors, it is our duty to seek justice. In light of the unique facts of this case, a shorter prison sentence is just.”
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Man Who Shot Wife in ICU Is Charged with Murder; Was It a Mercy Killing?”
