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National

Sam McKeith

Jail may be onerous for elderly wife killer, court told

Maria Richard Weinstein Murder

Heinz Ratke faces sentencing after pleading guilty to murdering his wife Maria, 71. (Peter Rae/AAP PHOTOS)

An elderly man who murdered his wife of more than 50 years after going broke has health issues that could make prison time onerous, a court has heard.

Heinz Ratke, aged 73 at the time of the killing, has pleaded guilty to murdering his wife Maria, 71, in their NSW Blue Mountains home, in December 2020.

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