Judge Denies Bail for Man Accused of Murdering His Wife in Their Montclair Home

A judge today denied a bail motion for a locksmith who’s charged with murdering his wife at their home in Oakland’s Montclair district in July, saying there are questions about the man’s truthfulness and trustworthiness.

In refusing to set bail for Joseph Bontempo, 54, who’s charged in the death of Laurie Wolfe, his wife, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Paul Delucchi said, “We’ve got ourselves some real issues” about Bontempo’s veracity because there are indications that he cleaned up the crime scene and didn’t tell the truth about how Wolfe died. Wolfe was found dead at the couple’s home in the 6700 block of Saroni Drive shortly after 6:30 p.m. on July 6.

Oakland police said Bontempo called them at that time to report that his wife had died after slipping on the stairs of their home. However, police officers thought there were suspicious circumstances about Wolfe’s death and Bontempo was charged with murder on Aug. 12 after a pathologist said an autopsy showed that Wolfe died from blunt force trauma that wasn’t consistent with a fall. Bontempo and Wolfe were partners for 20 years and were married for the past 12 years, according to Ed Swanson, one of Bontempo’s lawyers. August Gugelmann, another attorney for Bontempo, said today that bail should be set for Bontempo because he has strong ties to the Oakland community and he doesn’t have a record of violence.

Gugelmann presented character evidence from about 12 of Bontempo’s family members and friends, including his ex-wife, Heather Bontempo, who testified that Bontempo “always had a very good heart” and wouldn’t be a flight risk because “he loves this community.” But prosecutor Sharon Carney said Bontempo shouldn’t get bail because Wolfe was killed in “a vicious attack,” as the evidence indicates that she suffered lacerations to the back of her head and bruises to her back that are inconsistent with his claim that she died by falling down the stairs. Carney said she also thinks Bontempo is a flight risk because it’s unclear where he was during the five-week period between the time that Wolfe died and the time he was arrested and charged and he also bought a cellphone that couldn’t be traced by police.

Carney said Bontempo is “dishonest and deceptive” as well as a danger to the community and a flight risk. However, Gugelmann said Bontempo didn’t attempt to destroy any evidence in the case and said many people described Bontempo as “kind and warm-hearted” and said he had a “loving” relationship with Wolfe. But Delucchi said Bontempo’s claim that Wolfe died by falling down the stairs isn’t consistent with the autopsy’s findings and he questioned how Bontempo could even know how Wolfe died because he also claimed he wasn’t present when she died. Bontempo’s lawyers said one reason they think Bontempo wouldn’t be a flight risk is that he’s afraid to fly, but Delucchi said Bontempo has flown to Hawaii in the past and he believes that “a fear of lifetime incarceration might outweigh his fear of flying.”

Delucchi said most murder defendants are entitled to bail, except for those who face the death penalty or have threatened someone’s life, but he said he believes there are “significant” reasons to continue to deny bail for Bontempo. Bontempo is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 6 to set a date for his preliminary hearing, which will determine if there’s enough evidence for him to be ordered to stand trial. The attorneys in the case said that hearing probably will be held in November or December.

By Bay City News