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Husband charged with killing wife, jumping from third-story condo, makes court appearance

Posted at 11:14 AM, Jul 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-19 18:26:37-04

A senior citizen charged with stabbing his wife to death and jumping from the third floor of their Singer Island condo was in court Tuesday.

James Huhta, 79, was hospitalized immediately after leaping from the condo in May.

Police said when they went to his home to tell his wife about him jumping from the home, they discovered she had been killed.

Huhta's attorney said his client is in need of physical therapy and asked the judge to fulfill their request.

"He attempted suicide so he injured his back pretty severely, and he's wheelchair bound,” attorney Jonathan Kaplan said. “He's not getting any physical therapy at the jail, so his physical condition is deteriorating. His mental state is as good as it can be,"

Huhta's attorney said depression played a role in the crime, and Huhta has been undergoing treatment.

‘It’s a delicate situation cause of the family and the two daughters that are involved, the state has been very amiable to a possible resolution down the road,” Kaplan added. “There’s a large mental health component to this, so we’ll go from there, but a case like this takes some time.”