A 77-year-old Carroll County woman died Monday, May 13, while awaiting trial on murder charges in connection with the beating death of her husband. According to the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, Gail D’Anthony died while in the custody of the Maryland Department of Health, to which she was committed because it was determined she was incompetent to stand trial and was a danger to herself and to others. A competency hearing was scheduled in June.
Prosecutors said D’Anthony was charged on accusations that she used a cane in the fatal beating of her 72-year-old husband, John D’Anthony III, on the night of March 1, 2023, at the couple’s Westminster home.
Prosecutors said an autopsy confirmed John D’Anthony suffered extensive injuries, including blunt force injuries, including, but not limited to, lacerations to his mouth, a broken neck, a broken right rib, two black eyes and large contusions to his hands and forearms.
The medical examiner found the injuries were inconsistent with a single fall or otherwise natural death and ruled it a homicide, prosecutors said.
Witnesses told investigators that Gail D’Anthony confessed to killing her husband by pushing him to the ground, causing him to hit his head on the ground and hitting him with a cane repeatedly to keep him down until he was no longer breathing, prosecutors said.
Gail D’Anthony’s daughter, Jessica Annoreno, released a statement on behalf of her father through the state’s attorney’s office, “Anyone that knew Jack D’Anthony knew he was a good person. He was a good father and a good grandfather. I will never forget the day my mother called to admit to me what she did to him. He didn’t deserve to die that way, so it is frustrating that the case ended short of getting the justice that he deserves. My family will continue to celebrate his life.”
“Gail D’Anthony did not escape justice via her death. She will now answer for her crimes to a higher authority. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Jack D’Anthony,” Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said in a statement.
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