A wife killed for love days before golden wedding

Frank and Marian Rhoden
13 April 2012

Days before his golden wedding, Frank Rhoden was given the news that he dreaded.

Doctors told the 80-year-old retired lecturer that he and his beloved wife Marian must be separated because she needed hospital treatment and might have to be put in a home.

In despair, he suggested that they both die in a suicide pact. And even though the idea was rejected by 83-year-old Mrs Rhoden, who suffered from dementia, he went ahead with it anyway.

After plying her with champagne and brandy, he strangled her with a tie as she slept.

He then tried unsuccessfully to kill himself, first by inhaling exhaust fumes and then by slamming his car into a brick wall.

But he survived and yesterday faced Mold Crown Court in North Wales where he admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The prosecution accepted that he had been suffering from an "abnormality of mind" and agreed that the more serious charge of murder be dropped.

The white-haired grandfather was ordered to be detained indefinitely at a mental hospital after the court heard that his wife had been suffering from multiple blood clots in her lungs and legs, and was so ill she would probably have died of natural causes within a few days.

Stephen Riordan, QC, defending, said: "This is a deeply tragic case. Frank Rhoden killed the only woman he ever loved. He misses her dearly."

The court heard that the couple spent most of their married life in Manchester, where Rhoden worked as an engineering lecturer and Mrs Rhoden was head of a primary school, before retiring to a detached bungalow in Penrhyn Bay.

Their son Walter, a consultant cardiologist at Barnsley District Hospital, said they were devoted to each other, said Robert Trevor-Jones, prosecuting.

"They were both intelligent and thoughtful, with the defendant in particular adopting a strong ethical code."

Shortly before her death, Mrs Rhoden was well enough to go on holiday to their time-share property in Madeira. However, on their return home her condition deteriorated.

A serious leg infection, combined with a worsening of her dementia, meant daily visits from doctors and nurses.

Rhoden was distressed by their suggestions that his wife be admitted to hospital and that she would eventually need to go into a nursing home.

On the evening of March 24 – six days before their golden wedding anniversary – he killed her.

Leaving his wife in bed, Rhoden went to the garage and tried to gas himself with exhaust fumes.

When that was unsuccessful he drove to the Great Orme, a beauty spot in nearby Llandudno, and rammed his car into a wall.

Paramedics found him at around 2am with cuts to his head, repeating to himself: "What have I done, what have I done?"

He was taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital, where he carried out the pretence of phoning his wife and leaving a message to tell her not to worry.

Rhoden was discharged early in the morning and within 30 minutes of arriving home contacted police to say he had found his wife dead in bed.

Paramedics, however, suspected that she had been dead far longer than he suggested and he eventually confessed he was responsible for her death.

"He referred to a deterioration in her condition and a feeling of hopelessness at their situation," said Mr Trevor-Jones.

"He said he was at his wits' end."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in