A 70-year marriage ended tragically last week when a 93-year-old Kansas man stabbed his 95-year-old wife to death, before attempting to take his own life, police said.
The couple's daughter arrived at their Kansas City home to find her mother, Grace Irwin, dead in her bed with blood across her face and pillow on Jan. 23., police said. Her husband, Harry Irwin, was unresponsive in his recliner with multiple stab wounds to his chest. A knife was still lodged in his chest when paramedics arrived, according to court documents.
The unconscious man came to while being transported to hospital and told paramedics he murdered his wife.
"Yes I killed her, and then I killed myself. Why am I awake?" the paramedics quoted him as saying.
Irwin, who left a suicide note in his home, later told nurses that he had tried unsuccessfully to stab himself in the heart after murdering his spouse.
According to Irwin, his wife had been "arguing and screaming at him all night and he couldn’t take it anymore," which triggered him to the carry out the violent act, the
Kansas City Star reported.
Neighbors were shocked by the news, describing the couple as "gracious and friendly," in an interview with
Fox4KC.com. They added that the victim, who celebrated her 95th birthday earlier this month, had been in poor health for some time.
Grace Irwin's brother, Salvatore Privitera, said the victim had recently had hip replacement surgery and had cancerous growths.
Despite her deteriorating health, Grace Irwin's mind remained sharp, Privitera told the Star.
"She always said, 'Lord, I can take anything. Just don’t let me lose my mind,'" he said. "My sister was very much interested in living. She was very content."
Privitera added that his sister's husband took care of her "24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Irwin was charged with second-degree murder on Friday and remains hospitalized. He is expected to survive his self-inflicted stab wounds, officials said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.