Simi Wife Accused of Elder Abuse

Nine months after pleading no contest to charges of elder abuse, a 66-year-old Simi Valley woman has been arrested again on suspicion of severely neglecting her husband to the point he required hospitalization.

William Starkey 68, was admitted to Simi Valley Hospital two weeks ago. He was malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from deep bedsores across his body. Based on his medical condition, hospital officials contacted police.

“It was determined that elder abuse did in fact occur,” said Sgt. Bob Gardener. “Obviously, it was fairly severe.”

Starkey’s wife, Shirley, brought him to the hospital. She was arrested and charged with felony elder abuse Thursday. A court hearing is set for Jan. 21.

It is the second arrest for the retiree, who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor elder abuse charge last spring. At the time, she agreed to seek counseling and provide a safe, healthy living environment for her husband of more than 40 years.

But authorities say that didn’t happen.

“This is one of the worst cases of neglect I’ve seen,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Audry Rohn, a prosecutor in the district attorney’s elder abuse section.

“The defendant has had every opportunity to have social services assist her, and now this victim has been so neglected he is lucky to be alive,” Rohn said. “As a prosecutor, you never want to see your victims back again.”

Sherman Oaks attorney Daniel Kallen said the situation is more complicated, however.

Kallen, who represents Shirley Starkey, said he has not seen reports on the most recent incident. But he said his client has struggled to care for an ailing husband whose physical and mental health problems have been taxing. William Starkey suffers from dementia, he said, and refuses to enter a nursing home.

“This is a very sad situation,” he said. “He has a lot of medical problems. There is nobody there to help.”

Differing versions have been offered of the couple’s stormy history.

According to law enforcement officials, Shirley Starkey was first charged with elder abuse after refusing to help her husband get back into bed after he fell to the floor in June 1997.

In that incident, William Starkey, who also suffers from Parkinson’s disease, lay in his own waste for hours before his wife called 911, authorities said.

But Kallen said the husband refused to get up off the floor despite his wife’s urging, so she let him stay there.

“She thought he was being obstinate and left him for a while,” Kallen said. “Put yourself in her shoes, dealing with a husband who has all kinds of problems.”

Shirley Starkey pleaded no contest to abusing her husband in that incident and was ordered to serve 30 days in Ventura County Jail. She was placed on three years probation and told not to harass or use violence against her husband.

She was also ordered to cooperate with the county’s Adult Protective Services agency, and told to allow regular visits by social workers to her Parkhurst Street residence.

On Friday, Kallen questioned whether social services had dropped the ball. “If it takes a while for bedsores to develop,” he asked, “where were they?”

A social worker who has worked with the couple for some time could not be reached for comment Friday. William Starkey remains at Simi Valley Hospital. A spokeswoman said he was in stable condition.