Is it "mercy killing" or abuse?

Roy Charles Laird, 88, was arrested this week after allegedly shooting his 86-year-old wife, Clara Laird, in her nursing home. The couple's daughter described the act as a "mercy killing". Laird staunchly persisted in feeding and bathing his wife, Clara, 86, as dementia and crippling illness took away her ability to walk, sit up, feed herself or recognise visitors, according to the daughter. LA Times

Alex Schadenberg, a regular blogger on euthanasia, takes an interesting perspective. He quotes a recent study entitled "Domestic Homicide and Homicide-Suicide: The Older Offender", published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The study states that "lethal violence is often a result of long-term abusive behavior by a man against his female partner" and that "spousal violence often continues into old age". The report continues, "it is important to note that the perpetrators of previous domestic violence cannot be established from available police reports. It should also be noted that, for various reasons, the prevalence of domestic violence is likely to be higher than reports indicate and that the apparent association with spousal homicide would therefore also be underreported."