80-Year-Old Man Claims Medical, Financial Struggles Led to Wife's Murder, Suicide Attempt: Police

An 80-year-old man is alive and behind bars after a call to his daughter triggered neighbors to come and check on him. His wife, however, is deceased, allegedly by his hands. Richard Scharf is facing a charge of second-degree murder and is being held in the Lee County Jail. On September 24, he filed a plea of not guilty, as recorded by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. The suspect was found in his garage two days prior when police responded to a reported "suicide threat," according to a probable cause statement filed by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. It was while en route that deputies were alerted it was believed he had killed his wife and was now threatening to end his own. They also reported finding one of Scharf's neighbors in the garage with him as he sat in the driver's seat of his SUV. When told the exit the vehicle, officers said the suspect complied and he was taken into custody. "The loss of life in this case is heartbreaking, "said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. "I'm thankful for my deputies and detectives that were able to close the case quickly." Sharf reportedly told officers, according to the court filings, that he'd taken a large amount of over-the-counter medications in an effort to kill himself. He was transported to a hospital for treatment. When deputies entered the house, they reported finding another witness in the room with the deceased body of Scharf's wife. Authorities also reported finding an apology note attached to a will. After he was released from the hospital, court documents reveal that Scharf reportedly opened up to detectives about what happened that day. The documents report that he talked about his wife's worsening Alzheimer's, his own severe jaw pain, and the couple's "financial stress as their retirement money was running out." It was with these things on his mind that he made a fateful decision as he and his wife were returning from church. According to the probable cause affidavit, it was on this drive that Scharf "came to terms with the fact he was going to end [his wife's] pain and suffering." He then reportedly told police that while she was napping after church, he covered her face with a bathroom towel and pillow in order to smother her, according to court documents. After her death, Scharf told authorities he wrote several notes addressed to different family members explaining what had happened. He then allegedly made his way to the closed garage and started his SUV in an attempt to kill himself, per the documents. The pivotal moment in the story came when Scharf reportedly made the decision to call one of his daughters while he was inside the car and tell her what had happened. The affidavit states that it was this out-of-state daughter who called the witnesses found on the scene, and it was the witnesses who opened the garage door first, finding Scharf, and discovering his wife's body in the bedroom.