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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A 93-year-old man accused of killing his wife thought he had also stabbed himself to death and asked paramedics en route to the hospital "why I am I still awake?" authorities said on Wednesday.
Harry Irwin is charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 95-year-old wife, Grace, in south Kansas City, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said.
A daughter of the couple found Grace Irwin bleeding on a bed and Harry Irwin laying still in a recliner with knife in his hand, according to a probable cause statement filed by detectives in the case.
Harry Irwin had apparently slit his wrists and plunged a knife into his chest, detectives said in the statement. Grace Irwin was pronounced dead at the scene.
On the way to the hospital, police said Irwin stated: "Yes, I killed her then killed myself. Why am I awake?"
Irwin said he tried to stab himself in the heart but he must have aimed too low and hit a rib, according to the probable cause statement.
He also said his wife was arguing and screaming at him all night and that he couldn't take it anymore, the statement said.
"Given the facts, a murder charge was warranted," Baker said. "No victim deserves someone else deciding when they will die."
Harry Irwin remained in the hospital on Wednesday night, authorities said.
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