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Elderly Man Who Admitted To Killing His Wife During Lockdown Cleared Of Her Murder In UK

(Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Weibel Contributor
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An elderly retired factory worker, who admitted to murdering his wife after a heated argument last year March 28, has been cleared of charges after a jury in the U.K. found him not guilty.

The jury at Swansea Crown Court found Anthony Williams, 70, not guilty of murder Monday after Williams pleaded guilty to manslaughter, The Independent reported.

Williams told the police back in March 2020 that he found himself chasing his wife of 46 years, Ruth, 67, around the house during an intense argument, according to the outlet. As she tried to unlock the front door he grabbed her by her throat, at which point he said he “literally choked the living daylights” out of his wife.

Mrs. Williams was found sitting on the couple’s porch with a set of keys in her hand and was pronounced dead at the hospital. (RELATED: Police Charge Man With Murder After Finding Him In Bed With Bodies Of His Wife And Two Kids)

“I am sorry, I just snapped, I am sorry,” explained Mr. Williams to the police officers. He was arrested at the scene on charges relating to suspicion of murder.

Williams explained to police that prior to the incident with his wife he had been stressing about finances and had been suffering from a lack of sleep.

Emma Williams, the couple’s daughter, explained that her parents had spent the majority of their time with each other and were not the argumentative type and she never heard them “raise their voice” with each other. She did note that her father had started acting strangely around Jan. 2020 when he became obsessive about saving money and claimed the family was going to lose their home.

Williams explained that in addition to finding lockdown “really, really hard,” five days in, he had also not been dealing with life very well since retiring.

Dr. Alison Witts, a psychologist, insisted that Mr. Williams’ anxiety and depression were made worse by the coronavirus lockdown measure imposed by the government. Dr. Witts also asserted that William’s job had helped him cope with his depression and anxiety.

Williams is set to be sentenced Thursday.