Volusia woman accused of killing terminally ill husband in hospital pleads no contest
By Averi Kremposky
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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (WESH) — The Volusia County woman accused of shooting and killing her terminally ill husband in a Daytona Beach hospital last year pleaded no contest on Tuesday morning.
Daytona Beach police say Ellen Gilland made a murder-suicide pact with her 77-year-old husband about three weeks before the 2023 shooting at AdventHealth Daytona Beach. The man, Jerry Gilland, was terminally ill and reportedly agreed to the pact with his wife if his health continued to take a turn for the worse.
Police say the woman brought a gun into the hospital and fatally shot her husband before barricading herself in their 11th-floor room for hours.
Ellen Gilland was originally facing first-degree murder charges, though they were reduced to assisting self-murder and manslaughter with a grand jury indictment.
The woman’s trial was set to begin in early 2025, but talks of deals hinted at a possible resolution beforehand.
On Tuesday, Ellen Gilland officially pleaded no contest, which means the defendant does not plead guilty but will accept punishment as if they were. She was originally facing up to 30 years in prison. Under the new terms, she faces probation and up to 10 years behind bars. Criminal defense attorney Rajan Joshi believes pleading was the right move.
“Going to trial, obviously, the jury would feel sympathy,” said Joshi. “But if they were to rule based on the law, you know, based on this evidence, I think she would have been found guilty.”
It’s now up to Gilland’s judge to convince the judge to keep the now 78-year-old out of prison. He can use Gilland’s age and her husband’s condition to their advantage.
“He (Gilland’s late husband) was terminally ill, and he was going to die,” said Joshi. “And this was his wish to, you know, be spared from humiliation and painful death. Unfortunately, what she did was against the law. But all these things are things the judge can take into consideration. And especially her age. I mean, she’s an elderly woman. And looking at her, you can’t help but feel sympathy.”
Ellen Gilland is set to be sentenced on Feb. 28. She faces anywhere from probation up to 10 years in prison.
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