Man murdered his wife with severe Alzheimer’s to ease his burden, officials say.

A man in Lincoln, Nebraska, is facing murder charges after he admitted to shooting his wife with Alzheimer’s because he couldn't take care of her, according to reports.

John Kotopka, 80, was arrested on June 20 for first-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Now, the Lancaster County Attorney has upgraded those charges to first-degree murder, 1011 Now reported.

Janet Kotopka, 78, died in a Lincoln hospital on June 23. She had a gunshot wound to the head.

According to court documents obtained by 1011 Now, John Kotopka was exhausted from taking care of his wife, who had Alzheimer’s and was diagnosed two years earlier.

He was also concerned about the financial burden if she had to live in a healthcare facility, according to the report.

Kotopka said his wife had become “combative when he or other health caregivers attempted to assist her in her basic needs,” according to court documents.

Kotopka told police he had started considering taking her life about 10 days before the shooting, 1011 Now reported.

John and Janet Kotopka had been married for 57 years before the shooting, according to Associated Press.

Kotopka is being held in the Lancaster County jail without bond, and he hasn’t entered a plea on the charges. Kotopka’s attorney John Berry told Associated Press the shooting is a horrible tragedy for the family, but he declined to comment on details of the case.