A Pinellas Park woman was found dead in her home after her husband allegedly strangled her with an electric cord for threatening to send him back to a mental facility.
According to Pinellas Park Police, 69-year-old Carole Wilhelm was found dead in a bathroom at the home in the 8200 block of 4th Avenue. Officials said her husband, Richard E. Wilhelm, 72, was taken into custody and charged with 1st-degree murder.
Investigators said the victim was strangled with an electrical cord.
Authorities responded to the home just before midnight after receiving a 911 call they said was placed by Wilhelm. Officials said Wilhelm told officers he had killed his wife because she threatened to place him back in a mental facility. He waited for officers at the home.
Neighbors in the Golden Gate Mobile Home Park said they were surprised to hear about the murder.
Neighbor Jim Hitch knew about Wilhelm's health problems and wasn’t surprised to hear the news, he said, but did not expect Wilhelm to commit murder. "He was concerned about dying and he didn't want to die and go to hell," Hitch remembered. "That was his big concern."
"It's horrible to think someone was murdered right in my neighborhood," Hal Raithel said.
Officials said the couple was married more than 52 years.