Ohio man charged with shooting wife in hospital pursues insanity defense at murder trial
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - John Wise is seen in an undated file photo provided by the Summit County Sheriffs Department. Wise, a 68-year-old man charged with fatally shooting his wife in her hospital bed did so out of love and will tell the jury at his trial about his heartbreak over her debilitated condition, his attorney said. John Wise is scheduled to go on trial Monday, Nov. 4,2013 in Akron.(AP Photo/Summit County Sheriff Department, File) (The Associated Press)
It's unclear whether an Ohio man charged with shooting and killing his wife at a hospital will testify in his own defense.
Testimony was expected to continue Tuesday at the Akron trial of 68-year-old John Wise. The Massillon (MAS'-ih-lawn) man is pursuing an insanity defense on charges including aggravated murder.
In opening statements Monday, a prosecutor said Wise wrote an apologetic note before shooting his wife in the head with a pistol and then trying to kill himself last August.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The defense said Wise's mental state had declined after his wife was hospitalized.
Friends have called it a mercy killing, but that's not a legal defense in Ohio. A longtime friend has said the couple had agreed they didn't want to live out their years bedridden and disabled.