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Gail D’Anthony died on May 13, 2024, while in the custody of the Maryland Department of Health, the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Friday, May 17.
D’Anthony was being held in custody by MDH because it was determined she was not competent to be tried on charges that she'd beaten her husband, John D’ Anthony III, 72, to death with a cane in March 2023. A competency hearing was scheduled for July 9, 2024.
“Gail D’Anthony did not escape justice via her death," Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said. "She will now answer for her crimes to a higher authority. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Jack D’Anthony.”
John D’ Anthony III was found unresponsive on March 1, 2023, in his home on the 300 block of Royer Road in Westminster by local police, the state's attorney's office said.
EMS personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy confirmed that D’Anthony suffered extensive injuries, including blunt force injuries throughout his body, including, but not limited to, lacerations to his mouth, a broken neck, a broken right rib, two black eyes, and large contusions to his hands and forearms, officials said.
Ultimately, the Medical Examiner found these injuries inconsistent with a single fall or otherwise natural death and ruled it a homicide. Evidence collected by detectives at the Royer Road address was analyzed and they found suspected blood splatter, which was believed to be consistent with the blunt force trauma injuries found on John D’Anthony’s body, according to authorities.
In June, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office detectives questioned a witness who said that the man's wife had confessed to killing her husband by pushing him to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the ground and hitting him with a cane repeatedly to keep him down until he was no longer breathing and then called 911.
Gail D’Anthony was arrested on June 21, 2023, and charged with one count each of First- and Second-Degree Murder. On January 10, 2024, she was committed to the MDH because she was found to be incompetent to stand trial and was a danger to herself and to others.
On May 13, 2024, the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office was notified by Gail D’Anthony’s daughter, Jessica Annoreno, that early that morning Gail D’Anthony had died. On May 15, 2024, the Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Fred S Hecker entered an Order abating the case by reason of the Defendant’s death.
Annoreno stated on behalf of her father, the victim in this case, “Anyone that knew Jack D’Anthony knew he was a good person. He was a good father and a good grandfather. I will never forget the day my mother called to admit to me what she did to him.
"He didn’t deserve to die that way, so it is frustrating that the case ended short of getting the justice that he deserves. My family will continue to celebrate his life.”
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