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Dan Mook, who is accused of fatally stabbing his 82-year-old wife, turned the knife on himself afterward, but survived, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedener.
Authorities are calling it a possible "mercy killing."
Mook, 84, of Mount Laurel, was charged with murder and weapons offenses, Coffina and Riedener said.
He was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden after the incident, and remains there in stable condition, they said.
Mount Laurel police were called to an assisted living facility for a report of a stabbing just before 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. They found the suspect suffering from numerous self-inflicted cuts and stab wounds.
His wife, Sharon Mook, was deceased when discovered in their bedroom. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood ruled the cause of death to be multiple stab and slash wounds.
The preliminary investigation indicated the defendant killed his wife because she was in poor health and he was concerned that she was suffering, the prosecutor said.
The investigation is being conducted by the BCPO and the Mount Laurel Police Department, with assistance from the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The lead investigators are BCPO Detectives Jenn Marchese and Melyssa Alonso, and MLPD Detective Thomas Corsanico.
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