An 89-year-old Dade City man is being held without bond in connection with the smothering death of his elderly wife.
Kasey Johnson, community relations coordinator for the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), said that on Jan. 18, deputies visited a residence on the 3900 block of Basinger Street in response to a report from family members that an elderly woman identified as Marlys Elaine Duhrkopf, 87, was dead.
At the scene, they told investigators that the woman’s husband, 89-year-old Robert Carl Duhrkopf, had made statements that led them to believe that he had murdered his wife of 71 years. Later, Duhrkopf told detectives that he did smother his wife until she stopped breathing.
The Duhrkopf’s daughter, Jacqui Hallock of Dade City, declined to comment on the incident involving her parents.
According to HCSO Public Relations Manager Denise Moloney, investigators consulted with the State’s Attorney’s Office, then arrested Robert Duhrkopf and charged him with one count of Aggravated Manslaughter of an Elderly Person.
Moloney declined to comment further on the case. “They are still investigating it,” she said.
