83-Year-Old Man Killed Doctor For Allegedly 'Botching' Wife's Treatment

An 83-year-old California man has been convicted of orchestrating the death of a doctor whom he blamed for the death of his wife.

On Thursday, Robert Elmo Lee, of Lodi, was found guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of murder for financial gain for his role in the 2018 killing of 67-year-old Lodi podiatrist Dr. Thomas Shock, according to a press release from the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office.

Shock was shot and killed at his home in Lodi in August 2018 by Lee's co-defendant, Mallory Stewart. The 27-year-old gunman was also found guilty of first-degree murder for his role in Shock's death.

Both Lee and Stewart are set to return to court before a judge for sentencing on May 16.

"The conclusion of this case sends a clear message that my office will hold those who harm members of our community accountable to the full extent of the law," District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said in the press release.

Lee plotted to have Shock killed after blaming the podiatrist for his wife Bonnie Lee's June 2016 death, according to prosecutors.

After Shock was shot dead in his Lodi home in 2018, investigators found a California Medical Board document next to the victim's body that referenced the treatment of Lee's wife, KCRA reported.

Bonnie had been treated by Shock for an ingrown toenail in 2014. She eventually had to have part of that foot amputated — and then died in 2016 of an infection.

Shock, a doctor with Lodi Podiatry Group, was investigated and later disciplined by the Medical Board of California, and the case was closed in 2016 prior to Bonnie’s death.

It was unclear if Shock’s treatment had anything to do with Bonnie’s death, the Stockton Record reported, citing a Lodi police arrest warrant.

John Fairchild, a friend of Lee's, told police in 2018 that he had dinner with Lee a year before the murder where Lee blamed Shock for his wife's death because of the failed procedure and was still "angry" about it.

Lee denied having any involvement in Shock's death, but he said that he "was glad that he was dead," according to the warrant.

In addition to Lee and Stewart, their cohorts Christopher Costello, 26, whose thumbprint was found on the California Medical Board document at the victim's home, and Raymond Jacquett IV, 26, who drove the getaway car, were found guilty last year over their roles in the deadly scheme.

Jacquett was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life, CBS Sacramento reported.

Shock had been retired from his practice at the time of the shooting, according to KCRA.