Police: Husband, 75, starves bedridden elderly wife to death, refuses to get her medical care

A 75-year-old Florida man is behind bars after police say he purposely let his wife die by depriving her of food and water, and failing to obtain medical care for her.

NBC reports that Harold Earl Allen, of Tampa, was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, connection with his wife’s death.  Karen Allen, 74, died in January of severe dehydration and malnutrition, weighing only 68 pounds.

According to Debbie Carter of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Allen was in charge of taking care of his ill wife. She was bedridden on totally dependent on him for care, but reportedly stopped feeding her and stopped seeking medical care for her.

“It appears he wasn’t feeding her. There was sufficient food in the home.  And he didn’t seek medical attention for her, either.”

Allen called the police himself when his wife passed away. He explained she’d been bedridden for the past year and was non-verbal. He also said he was her sole caretaker and claimed he fed her the night before she died. However, he admitted that she had not been to a doctor in at least five years.

Deputies searched the home and found plenty of food inside, yet Karen Allen appeared emaciated with sunken eyes and extremely dry lips.

A medical examiner wrote that the victim passed away from pulmonary thromboembolism, partly caused by dehydration and staying immobile for too long. The report also stated there was no food inside her stomach, indicating that Allen’s claim of feeding her couldn’t be true.

Allen was arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly or disabled person. He’s behind bars at the Hillsborough County Jail with a $15,000 bond.

[Feature Photo: Hillsborough County Jail]