Murder Antidepressants 20/05/1994 Washington 83 Year Old Man Kills Wife Summary:

Paragraph 6 reads:  "Allyn and his wife, Catharine, 78, had been married 58 years and had four children and several grandchildren. 'He'd been a totally normal guy until about October, when he started having severe depression and anxiety,' Riley said."

"After the killing, Allyn said anti-depressants prescribed for him caused him to kill his wife. Throughout their marriage, Allyn had cared for Catharine, who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, Riley said."

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MAN WHO KILLED WIFE INSANE
THE SEATTLE TIMES
May 20, 1994
Author: NANCY MONTGOMERY
Estimated printed pages: 1


An 83-year-old Green Lake man charged with the January killing of his wife likely will spend his remaining years in a nursing home.

Robert Allyn was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday when a King County Superior Court judge granted a motion for the finding from Allyn's defense attorney, Stewart Riley.

Prosecutors, who had charged Allyn with second-degree murder, did not object, Riley said.

Although Allyn will go to Western State Hospital, he will be released to a nursing home as soon as a place is found for him, Riley said, because the judge ruled that he is not a danger to society.

Allyn and his wife, Catharine, 78, had been married 58 years and had four children and several grandchildren. "He'd been a totally normal guy until about October, when he started having severe depression and anxiety," Riley said.

After the killing, Allyn said anti-depressants prescribed for him caused him to kill his wife. Throughout their marriage, Allyn had cared for Catharine, who had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, Riley said.

She was found by a son who entered his parents' home through a window when they did not answer the phone.

Police determined she had been stabbed numerous times. A bloody fireplace poker and two butcher knives were found near her body.

Allyn was found unconscious from an overdose of prescription drugs on a bed upstairs.
Edition:  FINAL
Section:  LOCAL NEWS
Page:  B3
Index Terms: MENTAL HEALTH AND DISORDERS; MURDERS AND ATTEMPTED MURDERS; FAMILIES AND FAMILY LIFE
Record Number:  1911520

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MAN WHO KILLED WIFE INSANE