California man cuts plea deal in mercy killing of wife

OAKLAND, Calif. — Authorities say a man who shot and killed his wife inside their San Francisco Bay Area home last year because she suffered from dementia will be sentenced to three years under a plea deal.

Jerry Canfield, 73, pleaded no contest Friday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of his wife, Joann, the Oakland Tribune reported Tuesday.

Canfield shot his 72-year-old wife in the head at their residence in Alameda, California, police said. He then placed roses near her body, drove to the police station and confessed. Canfield told police that he wanted to end his wife's suffering.

The shooting followed a failed attempt by Canfield to kill his wife with sleeping pills, authorities said.

The two were married for 37 years.

Attorneys with the Alameda County Public Defender's Office declined to comment on the plea deal.