Alameda Man, 72, Charged with Killing His Wife, Says She Was in Constant Pain

A 72-year-old Alameda man who told police that he fatally shot his wife because she was in constant pain has been charged with murder. Alameda police Lt. Jill Ottaviano said Jerry Canfield walked into the city’s police station at about 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 and said he had killed his wife, Joann Canfield, also 72, at their home in the 2200 block of Clinton Avenue by shooting her in the head.

“He was very forthcoming and said he had planned it,” Ottaviano said. Alameda police Officer Alan Kuboyama said in a probable cause statement that Jerry Canfield told police that he and his wife “had previously agreed that if she ever became ill to the point of being in constant pain, he would kill her.”

Kuboyama said when police went to the couple’s home they found Joann Canfield in her bed with a gunshot wound to the head. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office charged Jerry Canfield on Tuesday with murder, as well as a clause alleging he caused his wife’s death by discharging a firearm, and he was arraigned later that day. Canfield, who is being held in custody without bail, is scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Nov. 14 to enter a plea.

By Bay City News