A 78-year-old woman in Florida has been sentenced to one year in prison for shooting her terminally ill husband dead in his hospital room. Ellen Gilland pleaded no contest to charges including manslaughter with a firearm and aggravated assault.
The incident took place in January 2023 at AdventHealth Daytona Beach, where Gilland shot her 77-year-old husband, Jerry Gilland, who was suffering from a terminal illness. Police said that after the shooting, Gilland was involved in a nearly four-hour standoff, during which she pointed a gun at a nurse and a security officer, and fired in the direction of law enforcement.
Gilland claimed she and her husband had a murder-suicide pact planned for three weeks, but she was unable to turn the gun on herself. Initially charged with first-degree murder, the charges were reduced following a grand jury indictment.
Judge Kathryn Weston acknowledged that Gilland's husband had been suicidal, but cited the trauma inflicted on hospital staff, other patients, and police when handing down the sentence. A nurse testified that he left his job after the killing, suffering from nightmares and seeking psychological help. More than 30 patients had to be relocated during the standoff.
Gilland will receive credit for 42 days already served, and was ordered to write apology letters to those affected. She will also serve 12 years of probation following her release.
