80-year-old Florida man suffocated woman to put her ‘out of suffering,’ sheriff says

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An 80-year-old Florida man was arrested after deputies said he suffocated a woman on Monday to end her “suffering.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Kaidon Lane after neighbors made a call for service. While on the way there, it was relayed that a man had “taken the life of a female on scene and was threatening to take his own.”

When deputies arrived, they found Richard Scharf, 80, sitting in his car inside the garage. He was detained as soon as he exited his vehicle.

After deputies entered the home, they found an unresponsive woman in the bedroom. She was pronounced dead despite live-saving measures from deputies and emergency medical services.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Scharf suffocated the victim in her sleep to put her “out of suffering” as he and the woman were “undergoing both medical and financial hardships.”

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

Scharf was charged with second-degree murder and taken to the Lee County Jail.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.