I agree!

I'm sorry, but he also happens to be a murderer. Every local media outlet is making him out to be some kind of hero. He shot and killed his wife. Why is that OK, because he had money? Because he "loved" her? I think I'll pass on that kind of "love". It is not a happy ending.

Thank you for your comments. What are your thoughts on the circumstances? A 60-year love affair and the love of his life deteriorating under Alzheimer's?

Actually, I understand that Mr. Snelling had hired nurses to help him care for his wife. I think it was a traumatic circumstance to essentially "lose" a spouse to dementia after more than 60 years. I'm not sure anyone who hasn't been there is fit to judge.

I respect your point of view, but I think passing judgment is exactly what you are doing. Murder can only be defined by a jury or a judge at trial, which is not likely to happen here. And Snelling was a self-described secular humanist, so I doubt that "playing God" entered into his thinking. Do you really believe "murder" was in his heart when he killed his wife, then himself, after 60-plus years? Then I would surmise you have chosen a perfect screen name for yourself.

I refuse to pass judgement. No one knows what was in his heart in the end. While tragic, I think this was in a way, a true love story.

republicans have to learn the hard way what life is like for ordinary people, it is not easy. god rest his soul.ordinary humanity must be known to balance out your life,and give you perspective.it is not all about the buck.

A murder by any means is murder. If he was so upset he could have just killed himself

For those convicting Charles of murder, you obviously have never watch a relative die from Alzheimer's. My mother is in stage two and I understand what her future holds and when the person I love will become nothing more than a shell of flesh and bone with all the memories erased. Think of Alzheimer's as a baby growing in reverse. Babies learn things everyday and develope into human beings. Alzheimer's is just the opposite, the patient forgets more everyday as the person deteriorates and disease destroys more of the brain. Euthanasia is the debate here, one long overdue for our country. We believe in it for our pets, we go so far to think that people are creul if they don't relieve their pets of their suffering and yet we are so offended to consider it for our loved ones whoe are suffering or in this case done with life.

There but for the grace of God go I. Monday-morning quarterbacking is fine for politics and actual sports, but not in situations like this. I cannot imagine the anguish, and I hope none of us ever have to face it.

At one time, I had a pretty, princessy life. It was turned upside down in the space of literally 1 day and it hasn't (nor will it ever be) the same again. I experienced things I never thought I would and I had to make decisions I never thought I'd have to make. I know better now than to say I'd know exactly how I'd act given a certain situation, because I know much, much better now.

And frank donchez, this has fark-all to do with being a Republican or a Democrat or a flying purple people eater.

Charles Snelling and I had a long, but private, correspondence on issues of our day. Despite our frequent disagreements I found him to be both polite and kind. Despite his 'secular humanism' he could hardly have had better man or husband. Rather than carp at what he did, one should bemoan the pain he (and his wife) suffered. He lived a long and very useful life, and anyone who has not seen a beloved spouse suffer as Charles did, should not judge him.

People passing judgement on this man and bringing politics into this discussion should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

fact: He murdered a defenseless woman and then cowardly committed his own suicide. Murder is still a felony crime and he should not be exonerated in death

Why didn't Snelling just shoot his wife, then stay alive to suffer the punishment? We have laws in place, and have no right to make our own in cases of a devastating illness; "let no man judge" (who hasn't been there) - is a poor excuse! I hope my partner of 55 plus years won't take such a euthanasia approach should I devastate him with my illness.

Judge not lest ye be judged comes to mind here.

A lot of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves with these comments. If you don't have anything nice to say - don't say anything at all (unless its about poetry readings). Calling someone names after something like this is awful behavior.

Good for him. I'd do the same. (although this is also interesting for the hypocrisy--GOP activist who presumably was against abortion and possibly even contraception murders wife)

People that commit murder-suicide all think they have a good reason. I don't understand why his is any better. He was showing compassion for his wife by murdering her? How do we know she was not perfectly content in her ways? Do you really think she wanted to be shot to death because he "loved" her? She had dementia...she wasn't unconscious. Guaranteed she knew when a gun was pointed at her head that she was about to die....for love.

Ok...well the police are calling it a murder-suicide. What does that lead you to believe?

I think that all of you who have written need to look at this incident from another point of view. Suppose that you were a close friend of Mr. Snelling, and he called you the night before he intended to commit these acts. In his conversation he disclosed to you, a friend, what he was planning to do. How would you react? Would you agree? Would you understand and just say good-bye? Would you tell him to stop? Would you call the police? Would you do nothing or would you do something? Remember as you answer these personal questions that you are a close personal friend. You would not want to see your friend or his wife die, and you would not want to see your friend imprisoned. What would you do?

I am not a person who pretends to understand these things. There never is any right to any of this. When I was young I was taught that there were somethings that were forever right and others that were forever wrong. This act was a forever wrong. I cannot excuse it and would always act to prevent it. The tragedy of all this is not the fact that a married couple died. So did two parents and two people who were friends and supporters to many. Maybe that is the biggest wrong of this entire matter, a failure to see beyond one problem and to see your personal value to everyone. God does not consult with me in these matters. I have no expectation that he would, but, sometimes, it would be helpful if he could.

I don’t usually comment on a news story, but after reading the opinions here, I feel moved to do so. I have walked through the agony of Alzheimer’s disease with my father (the victim) and my mother (the victim’s spouse). I can attest to the mind-robbing cruelty of this disease and the devastating effects it has on both the victims and the family of the stricken. My mother (in her 80s) cared for my father in their home up until the final three months of his life, when it became necessary to place him in a care facility. My father had became a danger to both my mother and himself. The institutionalization of our loved one had heart-wrenching emotional effects on both my mother and me, as my dad had been a loving, good, and kind husband and father all his life. He was 86 when he died and had celebrated 64 years of happy marriage with my mother. Neither she nor I would have ever taken his life and called it an “an act of mercy.” We are Christians who believe that only God has the right to decide when it is our time to die. Finally (whether you are a Christian or non-Christian), which doctor or family member has the knowledge and moral right to determine when a person is old enough or sick enough to be killed? Why not mercifully kill a person who has Stage 3 cancer? Or who can no longer walk or eat whole foods? How about a person who is blind or one who is a quadriplegic? Who will be that human judge? Who will judge when you are sick enough to warrant being killed?

I could only hope that my husband would love me and our family enough to "murder me" if I became that much of an mental, emotional, and physical burden on my family.

Lorie, well then let's all "love" the members of our families who may be physically handicapped and need total assistance from others, who have Down's Syndrome and need constant supervision, who are literally tortured by severe mental illness, and on and on. Let's show this love to the suffering veterans from severe trauma from all our crazy wars...... Euthanize all the burdens we, the people, can't cope with. Life always has burdens, and there is always help out there. I do not call that action - to murder through euthanizing - to be love even in the narrowest or broadest definition of the word!

Ok Lorie.... be careful what you wish for, it just may come true.