On the morning of August 1, 2026, 87-year-old Mary Lippold was found dead in her bed at the couple’s home on Como Court in St. Augustine Shores, Florida, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. Deputies say her 91-year-old husband, William Albert Lippold, told their son by phone that he had done something bad; the son found Mary and called 911. Investigators recovered a firearm, a spent shell casing and a note in the master bedroom.

William told detectives he had been Mary’s sole caregiver, that she was blind and had severe Alzheimer’s disease, and that he had planned the killing for about a month, including buying a gun and practicing at a shooting range. He was arrested and charged with premeditated first-degree murder, pleaded not guilty, was denied a court-appointed attorney and is held without bond.

The case raises questions about caregiver burden and end-of-life decision-making amid criminal charges.