Gilbert Man Charged With Murder After Claiming Wife Fell

A 36-year-old man from Gilbert is under arrest, charged with murdering his wife. Police say that Mark Ponsati had called 911 on September 7 to say that his wife had slipped in the bathroom and hit her head.

She was brought to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Interviewed by police, Ponsati claimed he had not had any recent arguments with his wife. (For more local news, subscribe to the Phoenix Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts).

Police say that was contradicted by numerous family members and a family friend who claimed that the couple had had a tumultuous marriage that included a lengthy separation. Detectives were also told that Ponsati had threatened to kill his wife if she tried to leave the marriage.

The investigation determined that there were "multiple indicators of staging" in the bathroom.

Police also say that Ponsati had tried to destroy evidence by washing the clothes that he had been wearing.

The autopsy revealed that her injuries could not have been caused by a slip and fall in the bathroom.

The medical examiner found that she had suffered multiple skull fractures, spine and brain bruising consistent with violent shaking, and a large cut on the back of her head.

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