A 61-year-old woman who police say killed her husband by cutting his throat last week was jailed Monday night on a charge of first-degree murder.
Marilyn Gail Patterson remained in jail Tuesday morning after an initial appearance in Little Rock District Court, where her bail was set at $200,000.
Patterson is accused of killing 61-year-old Kenneth Patterson by cutting his throat with a knife while he was in bed and then attempting to kill herself by cutting her own wrists, according to a Little Rock Police Department arrest report. It happened before 7 a.m. Friday at the couple's sixth-floor residence at Buffington Towers Apartments, 224 E. Seventh St.
Authorities said Marilyn Patterson told investigators her husband had cut himself, but the wounds did not appear to be self-inflicted.
Marilyn Patterson was taken by ambulance from the crime scene to UAMS Medical Center, where she was treated for her injuries before being arrested.
The report said Marilyn Patterson was arrested at Little Rock Police Department headquarters, where suspects are often taken for questioning before being formally taken into custody. It wasn't clear when she was discharged from the hospital, but a booking photo taken Monday night at the jail appeared to show Marilyn Patterson still in a hospital gown. She was booked in about 8 p.m.
Marilyn Patterson didn't speak in the brief court appearance by video before District Judge Alice Lightle, who set the high bail and entered a preliminary innocent plea for Patterson.
A public defender representing Patterson for the hearing said she has bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.
Police have said the motive for the killing isn't known.