A Happy Valley woman is behind bars at the regional jail for allegedly murdering her husband at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles Sunday afternoon.
According to reports, James Wilkerson, 67, was stabbed in the neck in his room on Bravo Wing shortly after 4 p.m. on Oct. 18.
He had served in the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years and been deployed to Vietnam.
The veteran moved into the home in April of 2014 and was in a wheelchair with limited mobility, said The Dalles Police Chief Jay Waterbury.
On Monday, Esther Wilkerson, 70, the wife of the victim, was charged with his murder and with unlawful possession of a weapon.
Police recovered a fillet knife with a roughly 6-inch blade at the scene that is believed to have been used in the homicide.
Wasco County District Attorney Eric Nisley entered the following probable cause statement about the victim into the Oct. 19 court record: “He suffered from medical issues that rendered him nearly a quadriplegic and suffered from a form of dementia. He could not feed himself, could not walk and most certainly could not have defended himself from a knife attack.”
Esther cooperated with police at the scene after staff at the home found the body of her husband, said Waterbury. He said the suspect had been visiting her husband with other family members who were not in the room at the time of the incident.
According to Waterbury, the couple had been married for 40 years and the motive for the killing was not immediately known.
Wilkerson is represented in the case by attorney Jack Morris from the gorge firm of Morris Smith Starns and Sullivan.
In court documents, Wasco County Chief Deputy District Attorney Leslie Wolf described the killing as an act of domestic violence.
She wrote that Wilkerson “had reason to know of the particular vulnerability” of her husband because of his health and mental problems.”
The suspect’s next court appearance is Oct. 26.
Waterbury said OVH staff called 9-1-1 for emergency assistance after walking into Wilkerson’s room and finding him with a fatal injury. He lived in a double room; the other half was unoccupied at the time of his murder.
“The staff did a wonderful job of assisting us,” said Waterbury. “They were very concerned because this has never happened there before.”
Cameron Smith, director of Oregon’s Military Department, travelled from Salem to The Dalles after hearing the news that the facility was dealing with its first homicide since opening its doors in 1997. Smith was on hand Monday to debrief staff and help them and other residents deal with the trauma of the situation.
“We offer our deepest condolence to the family and other loved ones of our veteran, just as our thoughts remain with the community and those who care for our residents at the home,” stated Smith in an Oct. 19 press release.
“While we don’t know what may have caused this tragic family event, we can assure that the residents at the home are safe and that there will be support for them onsite. We ask for your sympathy and respect for all involved in this very heartbreaking situation.”
Waterbury said the Wasco County Major Crime team, composed of officers from the city, district attorney’s office, Oregon State Police and Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, were requested to assist in the investigation.
Wilkerson remains lodged in the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities without bail.
Nisley said Monday morning he had no information showing that the suspect suffered from dementia.
“We learned that she recently testified in another county and was found competent by a judge. We don’t have any more details than that,” he said.
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