D.A. Opposes Freeing Murder Suspect, 90 : Crime: Alfred Pohlmeier, who is charged in the strangulation of his wife in September, was hospitalized after falling in his cell.

Prosecutors on Wednesday said they will oppose any move to free an ailing, bed-ridden 90-year-old murder suspect from jail.

“He is accused of first-degree, premeditated murder,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald C. Glynn said. “This is a serious crime.”

Alfred Pohlmeier was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday in the intensive care unit of the Ventura County Medical Center after falling in his cell and injuring his head last week. Pohlmeier is the oldest known murder defendant in Ventura County history. A county sheriff’s deputy stands guard in Pohlmeier’s hospital room 24 hours a day. It’s standard procedure for hospitalized murder suspects.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr. ordered attorneys into court today to discuss the matter.

Campbell had earlier denied defense attorney Susan Olson’s request to free Pohlmeier from jail without posting bail and ordered him held in lieu of $250,000, the usual amount for murder suspects.

Olson said Wednesday that she isn’t sure what Campbell has in mind but hopes the judge will reconsider freeing Pohlmeier.

“He is dying,” she said. “And he does not pose a threat to the community.” She said the latest developments should “strengthen our position.”

But Glynn said that Pohlmeier’s age should not be a consideration and that he should be treated like any other murder suspect in custody.

The Fillmore man is accused of strangling his 86-year-old wife Lidwina Pohlmeier, until she lost consciousness Sept. 13 in the double-wide mobile home the couple shared.

Lidwina Pohlmeier never regained consciousness and died two days later in a hospital. Her husband has been jailed since.

Pohlmeier originally told investigators that his wife was ill and that he wanted her to die before he did. But investigators said that she only had a mild cough and no other signs of illness when she died.

If convicted on the premeditated murder charge, Pohlmeier would face a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

Pohlmeier’s trial was set for Dec. 18, but it seems very likely a delay will occur, Olson said.