Husband charged in Calif. mercy killing case dies from gunshot wounds

Husband charged in mercy killing case dies

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 90-year-old former California doctor charged with killing his terminally ill wife and then turning the gun on himself has died of his injuries.

The Orange County district attorney’s office said Wednesday that James Fish died Tuesday in the hospital where he had been treated since the shooting.

Prosecutors say Fish gave his 88-year-old wife, Phyllis Fish, morphine on Sept. 21, then shot her and himself in the head. Neighbors say Phyllis Fish had terminal pancreatic cancer and dementia after a debilitating stroke.

James Fish was charged with voluntary manslaughter.

The couple lived in Laguna Woods, a retirement community in southern Orange County.