Senior who fatally shot terminally ill husband in hospital during botched murder-suicide says she wouldn’t change actions

A 79-year-old woman jailed for killing her terminally ill husband as part of a botched murder-suicide pact in 2023 said she would have done nothing differently and “accepted the consequences”.

Three years ago this month, Ellen Gilland of New Smyrna Beach Florida She snuck her husband Jerry’s gun into his Daytona Beach hospital room and fired a single, fatal shot into his head.

There was a wait that lasted for hours and staff and patients had to shelter in place. until police officers finally threw a non-lethal explosive device into the room and took Gilland into custody.

A judge ultimately accepted Gilland’s claim: her actions were part of the agreement she made with her 77-year-old husbandHowever, due to the chaos and fear he created among the people around him, he sentenced him to one year in prison and 12 years of probation.

Asked by Fox 35 Orlando Whether he would change his actions now, Gilland insisted: “There was nothing else to do.”

Gilland told investigators three weeks ago that she and her husband, Jerry, 77, agreed that if his illness worsened, she would kill him and then herself, according to reports.

“I knew what was going to happen. I knew how hard it would be to be without her. Not just my best friend, but everything we did for each other…” she told Fox 35.

“I had never been in trouble before in my life and never planned to harm anyone in the 76 years before this incident occurred,” he added.

She said of her late husband, whom she had known since middle school: “He was very supportive, very quiet, very generous. He was such a lovely person.”

Gilland said she brought her husband’s old gun to the hospital and sat and talked with him for a while before killing him. However, he later realized that he could not carry out the suicide part of his plan.

But when hospital staff entered the room, Gilland – apparently in extreme distress – pointed the gun at them and ordered them to leave, prompting a gunfight with police.

“Tell me what’s going on! I don’t want to hurt you!” An officer can be heard shouting in the body camera footage.

“Things didn’t work out the way I thought they would,” Gilland said in a later interview.

In the aftermath, Gilland was initially charged with first-degree murder, but the charges were dropped by a grand jury. He ultimately pled no contest to charges of murder with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer.

A nurse testified at her trial He said he had to quit his job at the hospital after the murder because he “no longer felt safe” and had regular “nightmares” because of the incident.

Gilland told Fox 35 that he was having a hard time in prison, having a heart attack due to stress six weeks before the end of his sentence. He spent the remainder of his time in infirmary before being released in November 2025.

“Most of the guards were accepting, if not very friendly,” he said. “There were a few people who were very rude, yelling and name-calling.”

Gilland, who was released, is performing court-ordered community service and will do so monthly for as long as he is physically able. He recently started working at a local animal shelter, according to Fox 35.

“I accept the consequences,” he told the outlet. “I need to figure out how to survive from now on.”

She also said she would try to live the rest of her life without her husband, while advocating legalizing a form of assisted suicide.

“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. I did what I did,” he said.

If you are experiencing distressed emotions or having difficulty coping, you can talk or email the Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI). jo@samaritans.orgor visit Samaritans If you are a US resident and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988 or visit: 988lifeline.org To access online chat on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis helpline that anyone can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country you can go to: www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you