Louisville, Kentucky: Bert Morris, 92, Pleads Not Guilty After Police Say He Put a Plastic Bag Over His Wife's Face at a Senior Living Home

A 92 year old Louisville man pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of attempted murder and first degree strangulation, a day after police arrested him at a senior living home where officers say he put a plastic bag over his wife's face and held her nose shut.

Bert Morris entered the plea in Jefferson District Court on Oct. 29, according to court records reported by the Courier Journal. Louisville Metro Police officers had responded to a call about a domestic violence incident in the 6700 block of Overlook Drive at about 12:46 a.m. on Oct. 28, according to a Louisville Metro Police post cited by the Courier Journal. The address is StoryPoint Brownsboro, a senior living community, according to an arrest citation obtained by WHAS and reported by Law and Crime.

What the arrest citation says

According to the arrest citation, Morris was found and recorded pinching his wife's nose after placing a plastic bag over her face to intentionally impede her breathing. The citation says the bag could be seen sealing around her mouth and kept tightening around her head while Morris held her nose. It also says Morris told investigators his wife "needed to die."

Another employee at the home intervened, separated the woman from Morris and called the police, according to the citation reported by the Courier Journal. The woman was taken to a local hospital. At the time the citation was written, she remained unconscious and hospitalized, WDRB and WAVE reported. Police have not released her name, and no report in this story names her.

Morris was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections. WDRB and WAVE reported that his bond was reduced from $250,000 to $150,000 at the Thursday court appearance, and the Courier Journal reported he was being held on a $150,000 bond. The charges are allegations. Morris has pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors must prove the case in court.

An employee is also charged

Court records show that Terrence Gabie, 42, an employee at the home, was also arrested. According to his arrest citation, Gabie recorded a 71 second video of the incident while failing to provide aid to the victim. Gabie pleaded not guilty to knowingly abusing or neglecting a vulnerable adult and was released from custody on Oct. 29, the Courier Journal reported.

A StoryPoint Brownsboro spokesperson told WHAS that the facility is working closely and fully cooperating with law enforcement on the matter. The spokesperson said the facility could not comment on specific details, and that the safety, well being and peace of mind of residents remain its highest priority, Law and Crime reported.

What happens next

Preliminary hearings for Morris and Gabie are scheduled for Nov. 6 in Jefferson District Court. The Louisville Metro Police Special Victims Unit Domestic Violence squad is investigating the case. No update on the woman's condition had been released by Thursday afternoon.