Prosecutors have charged a Lincoln man with abuse of a vulnerable adult in connection to the death of his 68-year-old wife at their home Dec. 19.
A man identifying himself as 76-year-old Gilberto Alcocer called 911 at 4:50 that morning to report his wife was unconscious and not breathing.
Rescue workers weren't able to revive her. Delanie Manning was pronounced dead at 5:11 a.m.
The coroner investigation that followed turned up signs of physical neglect. The husband said she had been bedridden for the past six months for medical issues and that he never left her side. He said he brought her water, soda pop and meals, but he only moved her out of the bed three times since June.
He told investigators he wanted to take her to the hospital or to see a doctor but didn't. He said Manning was scared doctors would "put her away."
In the three days before she died, she no longer could chew or swallow food.
He said he told her the day before she died that he was going to call 911 because she looked bad but he was afraid he would get in trouble, according to the affidavit for his arrest.
An autopsy last week showed she was malnourished, had a broken left femur, multiple ulcers and a right ankle and knee with exposed bone.
Wednesday, the man was charged as a John Doe with abuse of a vulnerable adult for intentional neglect.
According to court records, Gilberto Alcocer isn't believed to be his real name but an alias he goes by, along with Severiano Ruiz.
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said Gilberto Alcocer died in 1996, and that investigators still are trying to piece together the man's real identity and don't know if he is in the country legally.
At a hearing Wednesday afternoon, Lancaster County Judge Timothy Phillips set the man's bond at $250,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him.
You must be logged in to see or use the Shoutbox. Besides, if you haven't registered, you really should. It's quick and it will make your life a little better. Trust me. So just register and make yourself at home with like-minded individuals who share either your morbid curiousity or sense of gallows humor.
Former California Cheerleading Coach Charged With Molesting Young Girls
