Police say they believe an 80-year-old Lincoln man shot his 78-year-old wife Sunday because she was suffering from advanced Alzheimer's.
At John Kotopka's brief afternoon court appearance, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amy Goodro said Janet Kotopka was critically injured and likely will not survive.
John Kotopka appeared by video from jail and was arraigned on charges of first-degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony for the shooting at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of Dakota Street.
If convicted, he could get up to 50 years on each of the charges.
Goodro requested a $500,000 percentage bond, meaning he would need to post $50,000 to be released.
Attorney John Berry Jr. argued for half that amount, saying Kotopka has lived in Lincoln since 1983 and had no criminal history prior to his arrest Sunday.Â
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Judge Laurie Yardley ultimately agreed to the $500,000 bond, based on the seriousness of the allegations.
In an arrest affidavit, Lincoln Police Sgt. Kenneth Koziol said Janet Kotopka had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's about two years ago and that her health had deteriorated to a point that she had to be monitored constantly.Â
John Kotopka allegedly told investigators he was "exhausted and couldn't take care of her any longer" and was concerned about the financial burden if she were to go to a health care facility.Â
"On the morning of the shooting, defendant was in the living room with Janet, went upstairs to retrieve and fully load his revolver, went downstairs and shot Janet one time in the head," Koziol wrote.
The shot woke the couple's son, who called 911.
Rescue workers took Janet Kotopka to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, and police arrested John Kotopka.
In a statement shared with the Journal Star on Monday, family members said they were going through a difficult time and requested privacy.