An elderly man who had experienced "persistent paranoid beliefs" repeatedly stabbed his wife of 60 years, Wanda Uhle, to death, a judge has found.
Manfred Uhle was 86 when he killed the 78-year-old at their Gordon home.
"It is beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Uhle stabbed his wife repeatedly with a knife, resulting in her death," Justice Andrew Muller said in remarks published on Friday, September 18.
Documents previously tendered to the court revealed Uhle had a likely diagnosis of vascular dementia, with symptoms including memory loss, paranoid thoughts, confusion and delusions.
There was also evidence Uhle did not believe his wife was dead, the court previously heard.
Uhle was found unfit to plead to a charge of murder under normal court procedures. That means, instead of a jury trial, he faced a special hearing in the ACT Supreme Court.
The man was not present in court when Justice Muller gave his decision on Friday.
Justice Muller said that based on the evidence before the court, he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the elements of the charge had been proven.
The published decision said family members had noticed changes in Uhle's confidence, independence, and anxiety levels from about 2021, describing him as becoming "highly anxious and fearful", which they said was out of character for him.
In the 12 to 18 months before the fatal stabbing, Uhle was reported to have experienced worsening episodes of confusion and memory loss.
Family members observed that he struggled with simple mathematics despite previously being proficient in computational arithmetic.
Relatives had encouraged Uhle and his wife to consider aged care or assisted living, but neither accepted the assistance.
In the period before the knife attack, family members described Uhle as "forgetful, disoriented, and confused", with increasing episodes of paranoid beliefs.
The decision said Uhle had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia about two to three weeks before the stabbing attack.
While in hospital, he reportedly believed nurses were trying to "poison and kill him" and became so distressed that he refused food and medication and sought to be discharged.
"To this point, he refused medication and expressed persistent paranoid beliefs about the medical staff," the decision states.
A family member who visited him three days after his discharge said Uhle could not recall the incidents.
According to the published decision, the then-86-year-old retrieved a 32-centimetre knife about 5.45am on June 2, 2024, and entered the bedroom where Ms Uhle was sleeping.
When she asked what he was doing, he replied, "I'm going to kill you."
Uhle then stabbed his wife as she attempted to defend herself and flee the bedroom.
She made her way towards the front door, calling out for him to stop and yelling for a neighbour, before the attack continued.
Two neighbours heard the commotion but thought that the married couple "were simply arguing".
Ms Uhle died in the open doorway of the home. An autopsy later identified 10 stab wounds to her upper body, as well as 23 defensive injuries.
The decision said her husband had covered her body with a floral-patterned doona before leaving the house.
About an hour later, he visited his granddaughter, where he was seen struggling to breathe and with blood on his feet, face, and hands.
Uhle initially told her that he had been involved in a fight with his wife and claimed she hated him, wanted a divorce, and had been unfaithful. The decision noted there was no evidence of any such infidelity.
When asked where her nan was, Uhle said she was "just sleeping" and later that she was "at peace".
He was arrested that same day and has remained in custody since this time.
The decision details admissions Uhle made to his family during a September 2024 visit at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Uhle reportedly described retrieving the knife, entering the bedroom, and telling Ms Uhle he was going to kill her.
"She put up a good fight, she was strong, she fought like a tiger," he said.
Uhle also recalled Ms Uhle reaching the screen door and calling out, "Fred stop, Fred stop, think of your karma" before she became silent.
At the end of the conversation, Uhle said, "Tell nan to come visit me if she is alive".
The judge noted that caution was required when attributing weight to admissions made by someone with "evident cognitive decline".
However, he accepted the account alongside the autopsy and forensic evidence to find the charge proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Due to Uhle's cognitive impairment, the finding does not technically amount to a conviction but is instead a non-acquittal.
Justice Muller adjourned the matter to allow all parties time to discuss the next steps, including a potential referral to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
