An expert witness will be called to testify on behalf of a Villager charged with trying to kill his wife.
George Hachey, 73, is accused of trying to stab to death his wife on Sept. 28, 2022 at their home in the Village of De La Vista North. He continues to be held without bond on a charge of attempted first degree murder at the Sumter County Detention Center.
His attorney, Jaimie Washo Spivey, filed a document in Sumter County Court earlier this month, indicating she plans to call an expert witness. The filing provides a clue as to a possible defense in the case.
The expert witness is Dr. Susan Skolly-Danziger of Psychiatric Affiliates P.A. in Maitland. She provides expert testimony with regard to drug usage, including dosing errors, adverse drug reactions and effects of drugs on memory and behavior. She is licensed in Florida, Illinois and Louisiana. She appeared on Court TV.
On the day of the attack, Hachey’s wife was able to call 911, after being stabbed in the legs, abdomen and chest.
“Don’t let me die,” she implored Sumter County sheriff’s deputies, who kicked open a bedroom door and found her on the floor of the home she shared with her husband. Deputies had entered the home after breaking a sliding glass door when no one responded to the door bell.
The wife gave deputies “a dying declaration,” indicating it was her husband who had stabbed her.
She said he had told her, “You’ve ruined my life, and now I’m going to end yours.” She was wearing underwear and a yellow shirt when she was stabbed in the bathroom. She crawled to a bedroom where she called for help.
Deputies found Hachey in a recliner in the living room. He had inflicted “deep cuts” on his wrists and across his throat, using the same pocket knife he had used to stab his wife. A paramedic who helped transport Hachey to Ocala Regional Medical Center, told deputies that Hachey told him, “I just tried killing my wife. I don’t want help, I want to die.”
Hachey’s wife, who survived the attack, had filed for divorce days earlier. She was granted the divorce after the attack and while her husband was in jail.