Woman Sentenced for Killing Terminally Ill Husband Who Told Her to Do It: 'I Asked Him if He Was Sure'

A woman who fatally shot her terminally ill husband at his request in 2023 has been sentenced to nearly one year behind bars and 12 years of probation.

Ellen Gilland, 78, shot her husband, Jerry Gilland, behind the ear in his Daytona Beach hospital room on Jan. 21, 2023, per WESH.

She had reportedly made a murder-suicide pact with her husband, 77, about three weeks before the shooting, which took place at AdventHealth Daytona Beach.

Jerry Gilland had reportedly told his wife he wanted to die when his health prognosis began to look grimmer. When that came to pass, they reached a suicide pact, authorities said, WESH reports.

Gilland recounted the shooting in court: “I held the gun behind his ear. I pulled it away and asked him if he was sure,” she said.

“He raised his hand and placed it on my arm and pushed the gun to his head. There was a loud bang and he was gone,” she said, per KBTX.

Gilland also recalled attempting to shoot herself, but she was unable to do so.

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The judge in the case seemed sympathetic toward Gilland, and said she believed the woman’s husband was truly suicidal. She told Gilland she’d sentenced her to time because of the trauma the incident had put others through, KBTX reports. 

During the incident, Gilland reportedly shut herself in the hospital room with her husband for three and a half hours and said she would shoot anyone who attempted to come in. She pointed her gun at a security officer and a nurse. She also shot toward police officers, per the Daytona Beach News-Journal. 

As part of Gilland’s sentence, she must write letters of apology to the staffers who were on site that day whom she’d threatened, as well as to the police, according to the News-Journal. She must also complete community service every month for as long as she is physically able.

Gilland pleaded no contest to the charges against her.

Hector Aponte, one of the registered nurses who was at the hospital that day, told the court he’d had to quit his job after the incident because he “didn’t feel safe anymore.” He also said he has nightmares when he tries to sleep, per WESH.

“I will regret many of my decisions for the rest of my life. I never meant to hurt anyone else,” Gilland told the court at one point.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.