It appears that a man who shot and killed his wife, and then himself, had a fear of dying before her as he contemplated putting her in an assisted living facility because of her declining heath.
In a final report written by detective Clint Smith with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the cause of death of Weldon G. Morlan, 82, and Margaret J. Morlan, 79, was determined to be murder/suicide based on physical evidence and testimonies given by several people.
Weldon Morlan expressed his fear of dying and leaving his wife alone to several people, including immediate family members, a social worker and the pastor of his church. He also had concerns about being able to pay for her care in an assisted living facility, noted the report.
Margaret Morlan was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and Weldon Morlan had heart and thyroid problems, according to the report.
The report also notes that at one point, Weldon Morlan wanted assistance selling items such as a lawn mower and his truck, and contacted his children and offered to give them photo albums and his service revolver, which they declined, making him upset.
During Smith’s investigation, it was determined Margaret Morlan was shot once in the head while she was in bed. Weldon Morlan then shot himself in the head. A silver Smith and Wesson .38 revolver was found on the ground next to his body.
Numerous newspapers and pieces of mail were found at the couple’s home in Ocala Palms. The date on one newspaper was July 13, the same date as messages left on their answering machine.
The couple’s bodies were found by a neighbor the morning of July 16.
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