Man couldn’t afford wife’s meds so he killed her, deputies say

William Hager had some coffee Monday, he told investigators.

He reached out to his daughters.

Then, he phoned 911.

“I want to apologize, I didn’t call earlier,” the 86-year-old told a deputy who responded to the scene that afternoon, according to an arrest affidavit. “I wanted to tell my kids what happened first.”

Hager later gave authorities his version of events, detailed in the affidavit: He said that before the coffee and phone calls, he shot his wife in the head while she slept in their Florida home.

He said he used a .32-caliber revolver he pulled from a nightstand.

He said 78-year-old Carolyn Hager was sick — and that the medications she needed were too expensive.

“Hager stated Carolyn had a lot of illnesses and other ailments which required numerous medications,” the affidavit reads. “Hager stated he could no longer afford the medications needed for Carolyn’s care, thus decided to shoot her this morning.”

Hager was arrested on a first-degree murder charge in connection to his wife’s death, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

It is unclear whether Hager has an attorney.

“He talked about her medical condition, that she was in poor health,” Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Garry Wilson said Tuesday, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. “She was always in a lot of pain.”

A tweet: “Couple married 57 years, says Wilson”

Authorities responded to a Port St. Lucie home Monday, according to the affidavit. When a deputy knocked on the door, he heard a man tell him to come in.

Inside, Hager was on the phone. He mentioned “bad news,” according to the affidavit, and the deputy asked him what he was referring to.

That’s when Hager told the deputy that he had shot his wife at 7:30 that morning, the affidavit states.

“With a gun?” the deputy responded.

“Hager replied saying ‘yes’ and that ‘she was dead,’ “ the document says.

Hager kept talking, even though the deputy wasn’t questioning him, according to the affidavit.

“Hager went on to say his wife was in the northeast bedroom,” the document states. “Hager stated he shot his wife because she was in poor health and couldn’t afford her medication.”

Carolyn Hager’s body was found in a bed, covered with a blanket, according to the affidavit.

In his interview with investigators, Hager said he had been considering killing his wife for “several days due to her being in pain,” the document states.

Carolyn Hager had previously told her husband that she wanted to die, William Hager said. But, he added, she hadn’t asked him to kill her.

“He was perfectly clear on that he was going to be arrested and go to jail, but again, he felt that this is where it had gotten to him and this was his course of action,” Wilson said, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. “He showed emotion and he was very clear that he was out of options in his mind.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.