Man, 67, Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Infirm Spouse

A 67-year-old Thousand Oaks man fatally shot his ailing wife Friday morning in the couple’s home, sheriff’s deputies said.

Earl Lindquist Jr. was arrested on suspicion of murder Friday evening in the death of Janet Lindquist, 60, who was shot in the head shortly before 7:30 a.m. as she was lying in her bed in the couple’s condominium, Sheriff’s Sgt. Steven Bourke said. Lindquist was being held in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Lindquist admitted shooting his wife when officers arrived at the home, authorities said.

The gun, which authorities said was purchased for personal protection within the past year, was found at the scene.

The couple’s adult son, Earl III, was sleeping in an adjacent room and told deputies he heard nothing, authorities said. The woman was mostly bed-ridden and often in pain, with her son caring for her during the day, while her husband took over at night, according to neighbors.

“There is no indication of some of the things you might see in other homicides, like heat of passion, financial or domestic problems or an alcohol or drug environment,” Bourke said. “That’s what makes this unusual.”

Although deputies did not call the shooting a mercy killing, several neighbors described Janet Lindquist as seriously ill, and her family as distraught and futilely struggling to keep her comfortable.

“She wanted to die every day because she was in such terrible pain,” said upstairs neighbor Joan Bush, who has lived in the 400-plus seniors’ condominium complex on Arbor Lane for three years.

“She had a constant headache, ringing in her ears that never went away and she said she could feel her body going. There was no quality of life,” Bush said.

Bush said she visited Janet Lindquist three months ago and the two held hands and prayed that death would come soon. “He [the husband] was at his wits end because there was nothing that he could do,” she said.

Other neighbors said they heard no gunshots at the Oaknoll Villas complex, and many were disturbed at finding deputies and crime scene tape in their midst.

Neighbors said the family had lived in the complex about eight years and was often reclusive, socializing with others infrequently.

“They would rarely speak to anyone but when they first moved in they fixed the place up pretty well,” neighbor Florence Duncan said. “But then it changed and they closed all the shades and the doors.”

A sign hanging in the window of what appeared to be the woman’s room asked maintenance personnel not to make any noise around the apartment.

When the woman was seen outside the condominium, she was often in a wheelchair, neighbors said.

The couple’s son, Earl, spent most of the day inside the sheriff’s control center, emerging only when police asked to search his car.

Sheriff’s officers allowed him to carry out several garbage bags of clothing, which were searched for possible evidence.

“It’s usually very tranquil here,” said Marshall Dixon, who lives across from the Lindquist home. “It shows even in a quiet senior community, anything can happen anywhere at any time.”

Times staff writer Matt Surman contributed to this story.