Video: 71-Year-Old Man Admits Stabbing Wife To Death In Chilling 999 Call

A 71-year-old man in Wales claimed to have killed his wife a year ago because his depression "clouded his judgment" and his "ability to exercise self-control."

David Maggs admitted to killing his 74-year-old wife, Linda Maggs, at the couple's Pontypool home on Feb. 6 last year, The South Wales Argus reported.

The retired accountant had stabbed Linda more than 15 times with a kitchen knife past 9 a.m. before calling the police and admitting that he had "just killed the wife," a report by WalesOnline said.

"I just lost it. Just help me," David told an operator for 999 — the United Kingdom's national emergency number.

The elderly man was apprehended shortly after 9:25 a.m. as he told responding officers he had stabbed his wife because she "tried to steal two houses," footage of the arrest showed.

David later denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter because of diminished responsibility due to depression.

"This is a case where there are clear and significant mental health problems... At the time of the killing, [David] would have been substantially impaired," defense barrister Sarah Jones told Cardiff Crown Court.

Psychiatrist Dr. Nuwan Galappathie told the jury that David's depression may have "clouded his judgment and impacted his problem-solving skills" as well as his "ability to exercise self-control."

The doctor previously noted that David had been taking two types of anti-depressants — Mirtazapine and Sertraline — before the incident.

The dual medication was "unusual because most people are treated with one anti-depressant," which suggested that David's depression "was difficult to treat," Galappathie claimed.

David's living arrangements at the time of the incident would have further impacted his mental state, according to the doctor.

Linda had been in the process of divorcing David, her husband of 28 years, with the couple even living separate lives under the same roof after their relationship ended in March 2020, prosecutors told the court.

"In a more difficult divorce where there are disagreements, as there were in this case, things are going to get more stressful," Galappathie was quoted as saying in a different WalesOnline report.

David also allegedly became obsessed with the idea that Linda was hiding money from him and would gain dishonestly from the divorce, which resulted in him threatening to stab her in front of other people, including an estate agent and housing officer.

An investigation into the financial aspects of the couple's divorce found no impropriety on the part of Linda, but it revealed that David had an undeclared savings account that held £14,000 ($18,820).

The trial continues.