Ailing couple’s medical bills led to woman being suffocated in bed, Florida cops say

Worsening “medical and financial hardships” drove an 80-year-old man to suffocate his ailing companion as she slept, according to investigators in southwest Florida.

Richard Scharf also planned to kill himself, but deputies prevented it from happening, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 23 news release.

The “domestic-related homicide” was discovered around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, when 911 callers reported a man was threatening to kill himself at a North Fort Myers home.

“It was relayed to deputies that a male subject had taken the life of a female on scene,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Upon arrival, a male subject ... was located sitting in his vehicle within the garage. Deputies verbally commanded Scharf to exit the vehicle and he was immediately detained.”

Video shared on Facebook shows Scharf was silent and sobbing when led from the garage and placed in handcuffs.

Deputies searched the home and found a woman “unresponsive in the bedroom.” Life-saving measures were attempted and failed, officials said.

Details of the couple’s relationship and the identity of the victim were not released.

“During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the two were undergoing both medical and financial hardships,” the sheriff’s office said.

“It was discovered that Richard Scharf intended to put the victim out of suffering and suffocated her while she was asleep.”

Scharf was charged with second-degree murder, officials said.

“The loss of life in this case is heartbreaking” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in the release. “I’m thankful for my deputies and detectives that were able to close the case quickly.”

North Fort Myers is about a 125-mile drive south from Tampa.