Overview
- A coroner at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court formally recorded unlawful killing for Zena Hoskins and suicide for her husband David Hoskins on June 10, 2026.
- Their bodies were found at their Milton home after their daughter discovered David in the garage on September 15, 2025 and police located Zena in bed with fatal head injuries.
- Forensic evidence presented at the inquest said Zena suffered multiple blows to the head, likely at least four struck with two hammers while she slept, and two hammers and blood-stained clothing were recovered.
- The coroner and witnesses reported that David had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2024 and that worsening memory loss and confusion had increased strain on the couple and on Zena as her main carer.
- Thames Valley Police said David would almost certainly have faced a murder charge if he had survived but that a diminished-responsibility defence tied to his dementia could have produced a manslaughter outcome, and local tributes and support contacts such as Samaritans were noted.