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89-year-old who fatally shot wife while she was sleeping pleads guilty to manslaughter

An 89-year-old man who shot his wife multiple times from close range while she was sleeping in a recliner chair at their Fairfax County, Virginia, home, killing her, pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter and weapons charges.

Douglas Sommer faces a total of 15 years in prison in the killing of Marilyn Sommer, who was 87 at the time of her death in February. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful discharge of a firearm and is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 9.

According to Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, Douglas took his .32 caliber Herstal 1922 pistol and went into the den of his home on Pennypacker Lane, where Marilyn was sleeping in the recliner. He pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger five times, striking her several times in her head and chest, Descano’s office said in a news release.

When first responders arrived, prosecutors said, Douglas calmly stated he killed his wife. Their daughter, who was at the family home to help her parents move into an assisted living facility, later told police her father did not want to move.

“Marilyn Sommer’s long life ended in her own home, at the hands of her own husband,” Descano said in a news release. “This is a tragic outcome for the whole Sommer family.”

Former Brazilian au pair testifies her ex-lover plotted to kill his wife, though lacks some details

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A former Brazilian au pair testified on Wednesday that she turned against her former lover in a sprawling double homicide scheme involving his wife because she “wanted the truth to come out.” For more than a year, Juliana Peres Magalhães did not speak with officials about the 2023 killings of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan, or about Brendan Banfield’s alleged involvement. But attorneys say that days before her own criminal trial, the former au pair changed her mind and began to talk. Now, Brendan Banfield is facing a trial in the aggravated murder of his wife and Ryan, and Magalhães’ testimony has become a key component of prosecutors’ case. Banfield, who has pleaded not guilty, could face life in prison if convicted. The way officials tell it, Banfield and Magalhães lured Ryan to their house. The two then shot him, staging the scene to look as if Ryan had been a predator stabbing Christine Banfield.
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