Elderly Man Charged in Wife's Death

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged 82-year-old<br>Zygmunt Wolanski with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of<br>his wife, a woman a longtime neighbor said Wolanski cherished more<br>than

Wednesday, August 18th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Prosecutors have charged 82-year-old
Zygmunt Wolanski with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of
his wife, a woman a longtime neighbor said Wolanski cherished more
than anything.

Police say Wolanski called a telephone operator on Aug. 10 and
told the operator he had just killed his wife. He repeated that to
police when they arrived.

Neighbor M.E. Martin said Wolanski was a sweet and gentle
husband who never even raised his voice to his wife, Ruth, 91.

"He was always so kind and loving. Both of them were. Something
had to have happened beyond his control. Only God knows," Ms.
Martin said.

"It's a sad situation. Anything she wished, he did. I just
don't want the world to know him as a man who killed his wife."

Mrs. Wolanski's body was found in the bedroom. She had been
stabbed repeatedly.

Ms. Martin said Mrs. Wolanski had been ill and made frequent
trips to the hospital recently.

Prosecutors charged Wolanski on Tuesday. He is being held
without bond in the medical section of the Oklahoma County Jail.

Prosecutors declined to discuss the case.