Overview
- Patricia Blake, 97, was found dead in bed on the morning of Dec. 26 in their Palm Beach County home after her daughter said she last saw her alive around 10 p.m. on Christmas night.
- An autopsy cited purplish discoloration on the nose, eye hemorrhaging consistent with suffocation, and a fresh neck fracture, which the medical examiner deemed indicative of homicide.
- Body-worn camera review showed a small red mark on Martha Jo Blake’s neck, leading detectives to obtain a search warrant and seize bedding, a pair of socks found in a bag on the porch, and clothing she reportedly said she wore during the act.
- The affidavit says the pair discussed “death with dignity” with a Maine physician about 18 months earlier, but the request was denied for lack of a terminal diagnosis, and physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Florida.
- Blake was booked on a first-degree murder charge, a pretrial detention motion was granted, public records include redactions that leave the scope of any confession unclear, and court dates are set for Jan. 27 and Feb. 27.