Wife to Stand Trial for Killing Elderly Husband

Woman, 77, shot her husband after years of abuse, her kids say

Burlington County prosecutors have charged an elderly woman, whose children say suffers from dementia, with the murder of her husband inside their Browns Mills home.

A grand jury charged Fredericka Rosa, 77, with first-degree murder and a firearm charge for the murder of her husband Valpa Rosa Sr., 79, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday.

Police were called to the couple's Margaret Street home on July 21 -- two days after Fredericka Rosa allegedly told her children that she killed her husband of 54 years. Prosecutors say they found Valpa Rosa Sr. dead from gunshot wounds to the neck and head.

In an exclusive interview, Rosa's children told NBC10's Monique Braxton that their mother snapped after suffering years of abuse from her husband.

"He drove her insane," daughter Rosetta Rosa said. "He drove her to the point where she picked up the gun and shot him."

A .357 Magnum revolver was found in the home.

"I understand why my mama did it," Valpa Rosa Jr. said.

Rosetta Rosa said her mother is physically disabled and suffers from both dementia and Alzheimer's disease, leading her children to taking two full days before they reported their father's death to police.

Awaiting arraignment, Rosa remained free on $150,000 bail, prosecutors said.

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