Man Told Fremont Police Wife's Killing Was Necessary Due To Declining Health: Report

FREMONT, CA — A 93-year-old man accused of killing his wife early Saturday morning in Fremont told police he shot her because she had been struggling with health issues, according to a report from KTVU.

Richard Hocking turned himself in after calling police and telling them he had shot his wife in the 5000 block of Mowry Avenue sometime after midnight, according to the Fremont Police Department.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found his wife in the passenger seat of Hocking's car, police said, adding that she died at the scene.

Hocking was taken into custody in connection with the shooting and transported to the Fremont Police Department, where police say he gave detectives a motive for the shooting, authorities said.

Police haven't publicly disclosed what the motive was, but according to KTVU, Hocking told detectives that his wife's killing was necessary as she had been struggling with health issues, and that he had planned for over a month to kill her.

Hocking now faces a murder charge, along with a sentencing enhancement for the intentional use of a firearm, according to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. His wife was only identified by authorities as an 86-year-old woman.

Read more from KTVU.