Bond granted for Florida woman accused of killing terminally ill husband

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida judge on Thursday granted bond to a woman accused of fatally shooting her terminally ill husband in his hospital room in January.

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Ellen Gilland, 76, was arrested on Jan. 21 after allegedly shooting her 77-year-old husband, Jerry Gilland, at AdventHealth Hospital in Daytona Beach.

Judge Raul Zambrano granted Ellen Gilland a $150,000 bond and ordered her to not have access to any guns, weapons or ammunition, according to WFTV. He also said she cannot visit any hospitals unless she was experiencing a medical emergency, the television station reported.

She must also immediately enroll in a pretrial release program, the judge ruled.

Gilland was initially charged with first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to WFTV. However, the charges were reduced to assisting self-murder/manslaughter, aggravated assault and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, according to Volusia County online court records.

Two of Gilland’s nieces attended Thursday’s hearing and have agreed to look after her after she posts bond, WFTV reported.

“Good things are going to come of this,” Kathleen Cockrel said, according to the television station.

Had Ellen Gilland been convicted of first-degree murder, she faced a mandatory life term in prison.

The charge of self-murder/manslaughter is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, online records show.

According to a news release on Jan. 21 from the Daytona Beach Police Department, the shooting occurred at AdventHealth Hospital and Ellen Gilland barricaded herself in the hospital room for several hours before she surrendered.

Officers evacuated staff members and patients near the room at the Daytona Beach hospital, adding that the woman was not a threat to hospital personnel, WFTV reported.

No one else was injured, police said.