Ellen Gilland, 79, said after her release that she would repeat the Jan. 21, 2023, shooting of her terminally ill husband, Jerry, 77, which occurred in his AdventHealth hospital room in Daytona Beach. The couple reportedly agreed to a murder-suicide pact as Jerry’s dementia and health declined. Gilland pleaded no contest to reduced charges in Dec. 2024 and was sentenced on Feb. 28, 2025, to 366 days in jail and 12 years probation; she has since been released. Experts stress that families should seek medical, palliative and mental-health support rather than resort to assisted death.
Florida Woman Who Killed Her Terminally Ill Husband Says She'd Do It Again After Release
Ellen and Jerry GillandVolusia Sheriff’s Office; Facebook
Ellen Gilland, 79, has spoken publicly after her release from prison for the 2023 shooting death of her husband, Jerry Gilland, 77. In an interview that aired on FOX 35 Orlando on Jan. 26, she said she would make the same choice again to end his suffering and that she is "accepting the consequences." The shooting occurred in a hospital room at AdventHealth in Daytona Beach on Jan. 21, 2023.
Details Of The Incident
According to multiple media reports and court records, the couple had reportedly agreed to a murder-suicide pact about three weeks before the incident as Jerry's health declined sharply, including worsening dementia, vision problems and depression. Ellen Gilland told investigators and later testified that she held a gun behind her husband’s ear, then asked if he was sure. She said he placed his hand on her arm and pushed the weapon to his head; she described a single loud sound and said he was gone.
“He raised his hand and placed it on my arm and pushed the gun to his head. There was a loud bang and he was gone,” Ellen Gilland told the court, according to media accounts.
Gilland said she planned to kill herself afterward but became hysterical and could not pull the trigger. When hospital staff came to investigate the shot, she reportedly pointed the gun at them, prompting a lockdown of the floor and a standoff with responding officers. Authorities say she fired once into the ceiling after officers deployed a flashbang while trying to take her into custody.
Charges And Conviction
Gilland was arrested at the scene and initially charged with premeditated first-degree murder. Prosecutors later dropped that charge; she ultimately faced reduced counts including assisting self-murder/manslaughter, aggravated assault with a firearm and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. In December 2024 she entered a no-contest plea to the reduced charges.
On Feb. 28, 2025, Gilland was sentenced to 366 days in jail and 12 years of probation. She has since been released after serving most of that jail term.
Context And Reaction
In interviews, Gilland described feeling overwhelmed by caregiving responsibilities as her husband’s dementia and other ailments progressed. She said the couple had known each other since middle school and that she missed him deeply.
Legal experts, ethicists and advocacy groups caution against taking such actions and urge families facing terminal illness and dementia to seek palliative care, hospice support and counseling. Media organizations that covered the case include FOX 35 Orlando, WESH, KBTX and PEOPLE; the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office released images related to the investigation.
This case highlights difficult questions about end-of-life care, caregiver burnout and the legal and moral consequences of mercy killings. Authorities pursued criminal charges, and Gilland has said she accepts the legal penalties while standing by her decision to relieve her husband’s suffering.
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