Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A Florida woman, aged 79, who was jailed for the 2023 shooting of her terminally ill husband as part of a failed murder-suicide agreement, has shared her perspective following her release.
Ellen Gilland was taken into custody after she fatally shot her husband, Jerry Gilland, aged 77, in a Daytona Beach hospital room. She had secretly brought his gun into the hospital and fired one lethal shot.
Authorities suspected that the couple had a murder-suicide arrangement, and Gilland had initially intended to take her own life but found herself unable to do so.
Following the incident, officials reported that Gilland barricaded herself in the hospital room and did not surrender her firearm. Although there was no threat to others, the standoff extended for several hours.
Gilland received a sentence of one year in jail followed by 12 years of probation due to the chaos caused among witnesses. She submitted a no contest plea to charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault with a firearm, and aggravated assault on law enforcement.
With three years having passed and now free from prison, Gilland was asked by Fox 35 Orlando if she would have acted differently in hindsight.
“There wasn’t anything else to do,” she stated.
Gilland explained that she had spent time with her husband, whom she described as her ‘best friend,’ and conversed with him for a while before taking his life. She was unable to proceed with her own suicide as originally planned.
“In the 76 years before this event happened, I had never been in trouble in my life, and never planned to hurt anyone,” she reflected.
She acknowledged her inability to care for Jerry, whom she had known since middle school, and mentioned her struggles with vision problems and depression.
Reflecting on the situation’s aftermath, she admitted that ‘things didn’t progress the way I would have thought they would’. When hospital staff entered the room, Gilland was in extreme distress, leading to an armed standoff with police.
Initially charged with first-degree murder, her charges were lessened by a grand jury. Six weeks into her one-year imprisonment, Gilland experienced a heart attack due to stress and completed her sentence in a medical facility.
“I’m accepting the consequences,” she expressed to Fox 35. “I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. I did what I did.”
Now that she is released, Gilland volunteers at a local animal shelter, fulfills court-mandated community service, and advocates for the legalization of assisted suicide. She strives to avoid rehashing the events of that day and hopes others understand that, despite her conviction, she does not see herself as a violent individual.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.