A man in Florida has been arrested after he allegedly fatally shot his wife because he “would rather live in prison” than “deal with” her amid her battle with dementia.
Former police officer William Elwood Simmons was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 83-year-old wife, Nancy Simmons, on Saturday, February 21.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Orlando, Florida, around 5:15 p.m. after a caller said his wife “was down and I’m just sitting here,” according to a probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Us Weekly.
Once deputies arrived at the home, they saw William, 80, waving them down in the garage. “I do know what happened, I did it,” he told them after they asked what occurred.
William was then asked if there were any weapons in the house, and he reportedly said, “Well, one on the floor. I put it there.”
Officers then entered the home, where they found the victim in the kitchen, dead from a gunshot wound. A shotgun was also on the floor with a spent shell casing, according to the affidavit.
William was taken into the police station for questioning, where he told cops that he “was guilty and he shot his wife.”
“He confirmed they were in the kitchen arguing over going on a cruise. Nancy told him multiple times ‘F**k you, you bastard’ which triggered Simmons,” the affidavit stated.
William said he then went to his bedroom and grabbed a shotgun from the closet. His wife said, “F**k you, you bastard” again before he shot her one time.
He told the officers that he dealt with her dementia for “far too long” and that he loved “the old Nancy.” He added “that he would rather live in prison than to deal with her.”
He is currently in custody at Orange County Jail after he was denied bail. It is not immediately clear if William has entered a plea or retained legal representation.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
Not much is known about William and Nancy’s relationship, including how long they were together or if they had kids. Additionally, it is not known when she was diagnosed with dementia.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Dementia is “a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.”
If William is found guilty of first-degree murder, he could face either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, the evidence and circumstances of the crime will ultimately determine his sentence.
The state of Florida has aggressively accelerated its use of the death penalty in recent years, and a record high of 19 people were executed in 2025. A death sentence is executed by lethal injection, according to the Florida Statues. However, the person who was sentenced to death also has the choice to be executed by electrocution.
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