Summit County Sheriff Department

John Wise is charged with first degree murder.

An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his wife of 45 years in a hospital intensive care unit acted out of love, his attorney and a longtime co-worker said on Wednesday.

According to police, John Wise was armed with a gun when he went to the neuroscience ICU at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, and shot Barbara Wise, 65, in the head. A doctor who was also in the room at the time wasn't injured. 

Wise’s attorney, Paul Adamson, says Wise acted out of mercy.

"I'm thoroughly convinced he's a good man. I think his past history bears that out," Adamson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer after a court appearance on Wednesday.

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"Forty-five years of marriage, blessed to be deeply in love with his wife throughout those 45 years, and I am absolutely confident that everything that he's ever done for his wife has been done out of deep love, including the events that just recently transpired."

Terry Henderson, 58, who said he worked with John Wise, of Massillon, Ohio, for 30 years, told The Associated Press that he believes Wise wanted to spare his wife from suffering when he shot her Saturday in her hospital bed. She died the next morning.

Barbara Wise had been admitted to the hospital last week with a non-disclosed, life-threatening condition.

Husband charged in fatal hospital shooting of wife: 'Is she not dead?'

Henderson said Wise, 66, was a good husband without a hint of domestic violence. He said Wise never wanted to become disabled in a nursing home and that Barbara Wise felt the same way. 

Wise appeared before an Akron municipal court judge via video from jail Wednesday morning for hi arraignment. The original attempted murder charge against him was upgraded to aggravated murder after results of Barbara Wise's autopsy. 

No plea was entered. Bond was set at $1 million. Wise must return to court Aug. 22.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Summit County Sheriff Department

John Wise is accused of shooting his wife in the head in a hospital intensive care unit.

AKRON, Ohio -- An Ohio man accused of shooting his wife in the head in a hospital intensive care unit appeared confused about the attempted murder charge against him on Tuesday and asked the judge, “Is she not dead?”

John Wise, 66, of Massillon, made his first appearance in Akron Municipal Court on Tuesday. He appeared before the judge via video from jail on an aggravated attempted murder charge, according to The Associated Press.

During the court proceedings, Wise appeared perplexed about the charge against him, asking whether his wife of 45 years was indeed dead. 

Visiting Judge Marvin Shapiro didn't answer his question. "We're going to get you an attorney who will be able to answer all of your questions for you, sir," Shapiro told him, the AP reported.

Wise is due back for arraignment on Wednesday. His bond was set at $1 million. Prosecutors say they will make a final determination on the appropriate charge in the case after a grand jury conducts an inquiry into the shooting.

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Autopsy results released Tuesday determined the cause of Barbara Wise’s death on Sunday was a gunshot to the head. The case was ruled a homicide by Summit County medical examiner, clearing the way for prosecutors to consider upping the charge against John Wise to murder.

Police say Wise shot his wife while standing at her bedside Saturday evening in the neuroscience ICU at Akron General Medical Center. Police said Barbara Wise had been in critical condition for several days.

Wise surrendered to hospital security after the shooting and has cooperated with investigators, according to police.

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Jim Gosky, spokesperson for the medical center, said he could not give the reason for Barbara Wises’ admittance to the ICU or her length of stay, citing patient privacy laws

Prosecutor Craig Morgan said Wise made a statement to detectives after his arrest but he would not go into detail about what was said.

"We know this is not a random act of violence," Morgan told Reuters. "Everyone would like to label this as a mercy killing but we need to clarify facts.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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