In the early morning hours of a Monday in Franklin, New Jersey, a long and storied marriage came to a tragic and violent end. Loretta Salokas, a 77-year-old woman, was found deceased in an upstairs bedroom of her home on June 25, 2018. She had been fatally shot in the neck.
The person who alerted authorities to the shooting was her own husband of 59 years, 79-year-old Joseph Salokas. In a call to 911, he reported the incident that had transpired in their shared home.
When officers arrived, they discovered Loretta's body and took Joseph into custody.
According to the Sussex County prosecutor's office, the motive behind the killing was rooted in a severe psychiatric episode. Authorities reported that Joseph Salokas believed his wife was 'possessed.' They stated that he was in the midst of an 'acute psychiatric event' when he fired the single, fatal shot from his registered. 32-caliber handgun.
Following the incident, Joseph Salokas was taken to a hospital for treatment and was subsequently charged with murder and weapons offenses. Prosecutors announced their intention to have him transferred to a state psychiatric facility for evaluation. The community was left to grapple with the shocking news of a husband killing his wife of nearly six decades under such disturbing circumstances. Loretta Salokas was remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who had worked as a bus driver before her retirement.
