Man, 82, hits wife with ax, kills himself

An 82-year-old man who police say knocked his wife unconscious with a hatchet Monday was found dead in their home Wednesday morning, slumped in a chair with his wrists slit.

Police discovered the couple after Marjorie Brooks, 81, regained consciousness Wednesday morning and found her husband dead.

Police said Irvin Brooks likely believed he had killed his wife before he took a filet knife to his wrists sometime Tuesday.

Marjorie and Irvin Brooks had been married since 1995 and lived in a villa in south Lakeland.

Lakeland police Sgt. Sam Taylor said the couple had been arguing around midnight Monday about a light left on in the kitchen when Irvin Brooks struck his wife at least three times in the head with the blunt end of the hatchet.

When she regained consciousness about 9 a.m. Wednesday, Marjorie Brooks called a neighbor and called her daughter.

Marjorie Brooks was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where she was listed in serious condition late Wednesday.