Woman charged in fatal stabbing of husband at veterans’ home

PORTLAND — An Oregon woman fatally stabbed her husband during a visit to the veterans’ home where he had been living, the authorities said.

Esther Wilkerson, 70, of Happy Valley, made an initial court appearance Monday on charges of murder and unlawful use of a weapon. Her husband, 67-year-old James Wilkerson, was killed Sunday at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles, where patients receive 24-hour, long-term skilled nursing and rehabilitative care.

The 4-foot-9, 80-pound defendant was being held without bail at the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facility in The Dalles. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 26. The lawyer assigned to represent her, Jack Morris, is out of the office until Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

Police Chief Jay Waterbury said the Wilkersons had been married for 40 years and investigators were still trying to determine a motive.

Workers at the home called police at 4:10 p.m., Waterbury said. The victim lived in a double room; the other half was unoccupied at the time.

Police recovered a fillet knife that Waterbury described as having a roughly 6-inch blade.

James Wilkerson served more than 20 years in the United States Navy, and was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He had lived at the home for nearly two years, the chief said.

Prosecutor Leslie Wolf described the killing in court documents as an act of domestic violence. Wolf wrote that Esther Wilkerson “had reason to know of the particular vulnerability of James Wilkerson by reason of his physical disability and diminished mental capacity.”

The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs on Monday released a statement of condolence and reassurance: “While we don’t know what may have caused this tragic family event, we can assure that the residents at the home are safe and that there will be support for them onsite.”

The agency website says the 151-bed facility opened in 1997, and has a panoramic view of The Dalles, The Dalles Dam and the Columbia River.

The Dalles is about 85 miles of east of Portland and Happy Valley.

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