Woman Wounds Husband, Kills Self
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An elderly Ballena woman took her own life after wounding her husband in what family members believe was a suicide pact by the ailing couple, sheriff’s homicide investigators said Sunday.
Family members who arrived Sunday morning to check on the couple found Eva Dowton, 79, dead of a gunshot wound, and her husband Archie, 85, wounded in the head and chest. The man was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital by Life Flight helicopter, where he was in fair condition Sunday night.
Homicide Sgt. Steve Wood said the incident has been listed as an attempted murder and suicide. The couple were found in their home in the 18000 block of Littlepage Road, outside the rural village of Ballena, east of Ramona on California 78.
Family members told sheriff’s investigators that Eva Dowton had suffered a stroke about a week ago and that Archie Dowton suffered from a form of degenerative arthritis.
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