November 23, 2010
Orange County District Attorney's Office
The Orange County District Attorney's Office has filed charges against a husband for the shooting-murder of his wife in her room at a health care facility. Roy Charles Laird, 88, Seal Beach, is charged with one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death. If convicted, Laird faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in state prison.
The statutory bail amount for the crime is $1milllion and will be set by the court at Laird's arraignment today, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. at the West Justice Center in Westminster. The Department is to be determined.
The 88-year-old defendant and his 86-year-old wife, Clara Laird, who were married for 69 years, were living apart while she stayed at the Country Villa Healthcare Center on North Gate Road in Seal Beach. She had late-stage dementia and needed 24-hour care. On Nov. 21, 2010, at approximately 12:00 p.m., Roy Laird is accused of walking into the nursing home with a gun, walking into his wife's room and shooting her in the head while she was lying in bed. An employee heard the gunshot and called 911.
Seal Beach Police responded immediately and arrested the defendant at the scene without incident. Senior Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
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