Walden Shores Man Charged in Choking Death of Wife of 50 Years

A 73-year-old Lake Wales man is in the Polk County Jail accused of strangling to death his wife of more than 50 years.

Ronald Strouse of Harte Drive in Walden Shores east of Lake Wales was charged with one count of first degree murder after allegedly killing 72-year-old Susan Strouse during a physical altercation. The dispute reportedly started the night before when Mrs. Strouse announced her plans to take their money and leave him.

After receiving a 911 call around 4:30 p.m. June 11, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported finding the husband sitting on his porch and his wife dead on the living room floor inside the home with severe bruising to her right forearm, right wrist, right upper arm, left forearm, left wrist, left upper arm, left side of her neck, front of her neck, right side of her neck, left side of her jaw, right side of her jaw, forehead, and above her left eye.

The arrest affidavit said the suspect became frustrated and assaulted his wife after his repeated attempts to get her to explain why she was planning to leave him. He reportedly pulled her off the couch, where she was watching TV, and the pair started wrestling. The suspect reportedly told deputies he straddled her mid-section and choked her with his hands, while the victim tried to grab his arms and dug into him with her fingernails. He said he stopped choking her when she became motionless and a few minutes later he made the 911 call.

"This was a particularly brutal murder. We aren't sure why Ronald Strouse murdered his wife of 50 years, but one thing we are sure of is that he will be held accountable for his actions," said Sheriff Grady Judd.

The Sheriff's office charged him with first degree murder since they said "the defendant willfully and intentionally choked and battered the victim. The defendant made a conscious decision with a premeditated design to choke and strike the victim with his hands until she was deceased."