Officer Says Man Accused of Murdering Wife Said She Slipped on Stairs in Montclair Home

A locksmith who’s charged with murder for his wife’s death at the couple’s home in Oakland’s Montclair district last July told police she died by slipping on the stairs and he was in another room when it happened, a police officer testified today.

Oakland police Officer Leo Sanchez said Joseph Bontempo, 54, told police in an interview shortly after the death of his wife, 57-year-old Laurie Wolfe, at their home in the 6700 block of Saroni Drive on July 6 that he had warned her not to go down the stairs in her socks because he had oiled the stairs earlier in the day. 

Taking the witness stand in Bontempo’s preliminary hearing in Alameda County Superior Court, Sanchez said Bontempo told officers, “I don’t know what she was thinking.” However, Sanchez said before he interviewed Bontempo he examined the stairs and noticed a layer of dust on them, which he didn’t think they looked freshly oiled and slippery. Bontempo and Wolfe were partners for 20 years and were married for 12 years. Sanchez said Bontempo made a medical call to a 911 dispatcher at about 6:30 p.m. on July 6, saying, “Oh f---, my wife fell down the stairs.”

Sanchez said Bontempo seemed “quite calm” during his 911 call given the nature of the incident. He said Bontempo wasn’t emotional and “there was nothing frantic, no crying or yelling.” Sanchez said Bontempo told police that Wolfe had been dead for a few hours before he discovered her lying on the bottom step on the stairs. Bontempo said he had been upstairs in the master bedroom watching science fiction movies, smoking marijuana and drinking wine and then went downstairs to refill his wine cooler, according to Sanchez. Bontempo told police he called Wolfe’s name and when she didn’t respond he looked for her and found her on the stairs, Sanchez said.

Bontempo said he didn’t want anyone to see all the blood on Wolfe’s hands and face so he grabbed a wet paper towel, wiped her hands and face and fixed her hair, Sanchez testified. Bontempo told officers that he went back upstairs and either poured himself another drink or finished the drink he already had before he finally called 911, according to Sanchez. Wolfe was pronounced dead at the scene after paramedics and police responded to Bontempo’s call. But Sanchez said he didn’t arrest Bontempo right away because he didn’t think he had enough evidence against him at that point. But Bontempo was arrested on Aug. 12 and charged with murder after a pathologist said an autopsy showed that Wolfe died from blunt force trauma that wasn’t consistent with a fall. Bontempo, who has been in custody without bail ever since then, sought bail at a hearing on Sept. 25 but a judge denied his motion, saying there are questions about his truthfulness and trustworthiness. Bontempo’s preliminary hearing is expected to conclude on Wednesday.

At the end of the hearing Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gloria Rhynes will determine if prosecutors have produced sufficient evidence to have him ordered to stand trial on the murder charge.

By Bay City News

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