VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A woman who shot and killed her terminally ill husband at a Daytona Beach hospital was sentenced to prison Friday morning over two years since the shooting.
Ellen Gilland changed her plea at the end of last year from not guilty to no contest. The state agreed to waive the sentencing guidelines and place a 10-year cap on a possible prison sentence.
A judge on Friday sentenced her to 366 days in prison, with credit for 42 days she had already served, and 12 years of probation afterward. She will also send letters of apology to those who were affected in the hospital at the time of the shooting and participate in eight hours of community service a month.
“I really thought I’d be bringing her home today. So I’m a little bit shocked and, I’m very worried about her. But I will. I’m told it’s fair and that it’s actually a good outcome,” said Bo Timme, Gilland’s niece.
Gilland was charged with assisting self-murder/manslaughter in the January 2023 fatal shooting of her husband, 77-year-old Jerry Gilland. According to Daytona Beach police, the shooting, which took place in his hospital room, was part of a murder-suicide agreement.
She spoke during the sentencing and detailed what led to the shooting.
“He started begging me to help him end his life. We discussed various methods. The gun he owned seemed to be the only way that we could successfully achieve his wishes,” she said. “...He raised his hand and placed it on my arm and pushed the gun to his head. There was a loud bang - and he was gone. I was already crying and I became hysterical.”
“The goal was for him to do it, but he did not have the strength, so she had to carry it out for him,” Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said during a news conference. “We were able to establish a dialogue with her, we used a distractionary device to get her to put that gun down long enough for us to hit her with less lethal (force) and get her into custody.”
The fatal shooting at AdventHealth Daytona Beach led to a standoff between Gilland and police after she barricaded herself for four hours in her husband’s room. She told police she and her husband planned the shooting together three weeks beforehand.
Bodycam video showed Gilland engaging in a standoff with police before surrendering. At one point, police said she shot at them.
Part of the hospital was evacuated and some doctors, nurses and others took cover in locked closets and rooms. Gilland did not harm herself and nobody else was injured.
Gilland was initially denied bond when she faced first-degree murder charges but later bonded out of jail in March 2023 when her charges were reduced.