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Man 93, accused of tying up and strangling his wife with rope and suffocating her with a pillow

Prosecutors will seek pretrial detention for a 93-year-old man who was arrested on October 26 and accused of twice trying to kill his 60-year-old wife.

Pending that hearing, Helmut Viktor Stefan Lockner remains in the Marion County Jail where he is being held on two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Defense attorney Andy Ingram of Dunham & Ingram declined to comment to the Star-Banner. Assistant District Attorney Laura Hope is leading the case, Ingram said.

Before Ingram joined the case, prosecutors represented Lockner. That office entered a written not guilty plea on his behalf, court records show.

According to his arrest report, Lockner was arrested Oct. 26 at his residence in southwest Marion County.

Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Jonathan Coleman was called to the residence that day to investigate a domestic violence case. While on scene, the deputy and a trainee noticed the victim was crying, upset and had blood on his left forearm.

According to the arrest report, the woman said she and her husband were sitting in separate chairs watching television when Lockner stood up, stood behind her and placed a rope around her neck.

She said the rope was so tight that she felt like her blood flow was being cut off.

The woman said she managed to remove the rope from her neck and called 911.

A few weeks earlier, she said, she and her husband were lying in bed when he put a pillow over her face and tried to suffocate her. Although she had difficulty breathing, the woman said she was able to remove the pillow from her face.

According to the report, Lockner told officers he was dying and didn't want to leave his wife alone. He admitted trying to strangle his wife and said he planned to hang himself with the same rope. He also admitted trying to kill his wife a few weeks ago.

According to the Family Violence Prevention Workgroup, more than 3,000 cases of domestic violence are reported each year in Ocala/Marion County.

In 2023, six people were killed by domestic violence in Marion County, according to the group. So far this year, six people have died in domestic violence cases. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic violence deaths: Man, 82, who fatally stabbed his wife is sentenced to 15 years in prison

Authorities said anyone who needs help with a domestic violence situation can call the 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (352) 722-2272.

Contact Austin L. Miller at [email protected]

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