77-year-old Phoenix woman released from hospital, taken to jail for allegedly killing husband

PHOENIX — A 77-year-old woman was released from a hospital Tuesday and booked into jail for allegedly killing her husband in Phoenix last month, authorities said.

Officers responded to an apartment near 12th Street and Bethany Home Road around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 26 and found a woman inside who was identified later as Patricia Gaskill, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Police then found a man dead with obvious signs of trauma. He was identified later as 78-year-old Vernon Gaskill, Patricia Gaskill’s husband.

Detectives determined that the wife was the suspect in the case but didn’t immediately arrest her because she required hospitalization for unrelated medical issues, police said.

Woman booked into jail on two counts

She now faces counts of second-degree murder and evidence tampering. Her bond was set at $750,000.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

No other information was available.

This is an updated version of a story originally published Jan. 27, 2025.

Related

Murder suspect arrested after stabbing incident at family gathering in PhoenixMain roadway between Maricopa and metro Phoenix closed after fatal incidentArizona voters to choose Republican and Democratic nominees for top education positionRetired Gilbert fire captain honored after dying from job-related cancerStorms make way into Valley with strong winds, scattered showers causing power outages4-year-old boy dies a month after being pulled from Phoenix apartment pool