A Florida woman has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder after authorities say she suffocated her elderly mother following a denied request for medically assisted suicide, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by The New York Post.
Deputies said Martha Jo Blake, 66, allegedly killed her 97-year-old mother, Patricia Blake, at the family’s home in Palm Beach. Patricia Blake suffered from Parkinson’s disease and a thyroid disorder, authorities said.
Deputies responded to the residence after Martha Jo Blake reported finding her mother deceased. She told responding officers that she last saw her mother alive around 10 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Patricia Blake’s body was transported for an autopsy, which determined that her injuries were consistent with homicide.
According to the sheriff’s office, the autopsy revealed multiple injuries, including a broken neck. Investigators also documented eye hemorrhaging consistent with suffocation.
By the time the body reached the medical examiner, Patricia Blake’s skin showed purple discoloration around the nose area, which authorities said indicated that something had been placed over her face before or during her death.
While reviewing body camera footage from the initial response, a deputy noticed a quarter-sized red mark on the side of Martha Jo Blake’s neck.
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Investigators then obtained a search warrant and returned to the home, where Martha Jo Blake was still present with friends.
Deputies said Martha Jo Blake confessed during questioning. According to the sheriff’s office, she told investigators that she and her mother had begun discussing “death with dignity” approximately a year and a half earlier.
Martha Jo Blake, 66, has been charged with first-degree murder in Palm Beach County, Florida, following the death of her 97-year-old mother, Patricia Blake. Deputies discovered the elderly woman deceased in her home on the morning of December 26, 2025. While the daughter… pic.twitter.com/26JLWNQzqn
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) December 30, 2025
She said the pair sought physician-assisted suicide but were denied by Patricia Blake’s doctor, who was based in Maine.
Under Maine law, physician-assisted suicide requires that a patient have a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less to live, according to the state legislature.
Parkinson’s disease is not classified as a terminal illness under that standard, though it can contribute to other fatal complications.
Investigators said Martha Jo Blake told deputies that after the request was denied, she and her mother discussed alternative methods, including suicide by pills.
That option was abandoned, she reportedly said, because they did not have access to medication that would be lethal.
During the execution of the search warrant, deputies recovered a pair of white calf-length socks found inside a shopping bag that had been placed within a garbage bag on the home’s front porch.
The items were collected as evidence, according to the sheriff’s office.
Martha Jo Blake was arrested and booked into jail on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. Under Florida law, the charge carries the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing. No additional suspects have been identified, and no further details were released regarding a court date.
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