Florida woman charged in 'assisted suicide' death of elderly mother

A 66-year-old Florida woman is being held without bond following charges that she killed her 97-year-old mother as part of an assisted suicide pact.

Key Takeaways:

• Martha Jo Blake has been charged with murdering her mother, Patricia Blake.

• Martha Jo told authorities her mother had wanted to die, and had previously requested assisted suicide in the state of Maine.

• The Medical Examiner's Office found injuries on Patricia consistent with homicide, including a purplish color on her skin, a broken neck, and eye hemorrhaging consistent with suffocation or strangulation.

• Assisted suicide is illegal in Florida, where the two were living.

The Details:

Martha Jo Blake faces first degree murder charges after she allegedly killed her mother, Patricia Blake, in their home.

When deputies responded to a call at the home near Greenacres, Florida on December 26, they found Patricia lying in bed, covered with a sheet. An investigation by the Medical Examiner's Office revealed injuries that were consistent with homicide rather than a natural death, including a purplish color on her skin (indicating that something had been placed over her face), a broken neck, and eye hemorrhaging consistent with suffocation or strangulation.

According to reports, Martha Jo then told authorities she had served as Patricia's caregiver for at least five years. She told police that her mother, who suffered from Parkinson's disease and had other medical issues, had expressed a wish to die and that “she did not want to live.” 

The two had previously discussed assisted suicide with Patricia's primary care physician in Maine, but had learned that she did not qualify, as her condition was not considered "terminal." Martha Jo reportedly told police she had also looked into ordering suicide pills for her mother, but they could not find anything lethal enough to kill her. Assisted suicide is not legal in the state of Florida.

Detectives removed numerous items from the home, including “the clothing that Martha stated she was wearing when she strangled Patricia.” Martha Jo was booked on a first-degree premeditated murder charge into Palm Beach County Jail, where she is being held without bond.

The Bottom Line:

The horrific murder of Patricia Blake exposes the flawed thinking of those who champion assisted suicide and euthanasia. Regardless of whether state lawmakers arbitrarily decide that there are some instances in which 'assisted death' is acceptable, murder is always wrong — even if the victim is old, suffering, or wants to die. Yet it is instances like this that will spark calls for the legalization of assisted death, as if murder by pills or lethal injection is somehow morally acceptable.