Oklahoma City Man Claims He Killed Elderly Mother Because Of Her Failing Health

A metro man has been accused of murdering his own mother.  

Police said 48-year-old Shane Smith claimed it was a mercy killing, according to court documents.

Related: Man Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Mother To Death In NW Oklahoma City

Investigators are waiting for the Medical Examiner's results to shed more light on the motive.

Neighbors described the mother and son living in apartment 18 of the Arborwood Apartments in northwest Oklahoma City as shut-ins.

“We didn’t know, thought it was a vacant apartment or one that was not available for sale or whatever,” Toi Seamster, a neighbor, said.

Seamster was shocked to see officers with guns drawn outside her neighbor's home Sunday afternoon.

“There was a lot of officers with guns and they had I guess the son on the ground,” Seamster said.

Police said Smith called 911 to report he shot and killed his mother, 76-year-old Connie Smith. When officers arrived at the complex near northwest 42nd and Ann Arbor Avenue they found Smith dead inside her home with a gunshot wound to her head.

“The suspect in the shooting was her son,” Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department. “He remained at the scene.”

According to an arrest affidavit, Smith claimed he planned to kill himself too but could not go through with it. Investigators did find two guns on a coffee table and a suicide note. Smith told investigators he had a pact with his mother that if she ever became ill to the point, she could not function he was supposed to shoot her.

“We did glean information from the interview with him,” Knight said. “But at the same time, we want to verify things and make sure we know exactly the facts that led up to this killing.”

Police said the state Medical Examiner will determine the elderly woman's health at the time of her death.

Smith was arrested and booked into the county jail on one first-degree murder complaint. He has not been formally charged by the Oklahoma County District Attorney.

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to contact the Homicide Tip Line.