Overland Park man, 81, accused of trying to murder wife spoke of suicide plan: affidavit
An 81-year-old man accused of attempted first-degree murder after his wife was found injured in a Johnson County park last month allegedly told investigators he was trying to carry out a plan to “end our lives together,” according to court papers.
Robert A. Cicerone, of Overland Park, is being held in the Johnson County jail for allegedly trying to kill Jacquelyn Cicerone, his wife. She was found in the Sunflower Nature Park in De Soto on Aug. 31 by Johnson County Park Police and taken to the hospital with deep cuts to both wrists, according to an affidavit unsealed Monday in Johnson County District Court.
Robert Cicerone was found asleep at a park shelter that night around 10:30 p.m. He allegedly told a sheriff’s deputy on scene that he and his wife had gone to the park to kill themselves, a plan involving prescription medication, a knife and a noose. He handed over his keys to his car, where the deputy found a knife and a document outlining a murder-suicide plan, according to court papers.
Meanwhile, deputies used a drone to search for Jacquelyn Cicerone. She was found roughly 100 feet away from her wheelchair and taken by ambulance to an Overland Park hospital.
She was unable to give a statement to staff at the hospital concerning her injuries, court papers say, but told medical personnel that she “did not hurt herself.”
During a subsequent interview at the hospital, Robert Cicerone allegedly told investigators that he and his wife had agreed “in principle” to commit suicide. He told them his wife had been struggling to remember who he was, how long they had been married and other details about their family. He also told investigators that, over recent weeks, he had taken her to local parks to scout a location where they would die.
On the night they were found in the park, Robert Cicerone allegedly described giving her prescription drugs, attempting to strangle her with a belt and then cutting both their wrists. He told police he eventually got tired and fell asleep, then tried to take his wife home but was unable to lift her.
He told police he brought his bag of “supplies” back to the car before falling asleep on a bench at the park shelter.
The Cicerones were residents of Tall Grass Creek in Overland Park, a retirement community that offers independent living arrangements along with supervised care.
Staff interviewed by police reported that the married couple had first moved into the community roughly 18 months prior. In March, Jacquelyn Cicerone was transferred to a unit of the senior facility specializing in caring for those with memory problems as Robert Cicerone remained in independent living, staff told police.
Tall Grass staff told police Jaquelyn Cicerone struggled to remember recent events, but that her “long-term memory was intact.” They also said it was common for her husband to check her out for hours at a time and take her to a park.
Robert Cicerone was booked into the Johnson County jail on Sept. 4. His bond remained set at $500,000 as of Monday.
