Webster Man Charged With Killing Wife After IRS Incident
WEBSTER (CBS/AP) - A Webster man charged with killing his wife was ordered held without bail Wednesday.
50-year-old William Freudenthal pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on second-degree murder charges in Dudley District Court.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports
Podcast
Police were called to his home on Brookside Avenue Tuesday afternoon when he became angry that two IRS agents were seizing his car for not paying taxes.
WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports.
Officers returned about an hour later after getting two 911 hang-up calls from a fax machine inside the home.
Police found Jennifer Freudenthal on the bathroom floor with severe injuries to her face and neck.
She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy is scheduled to determine how she died.
Police are looking into the possibility she hit her head on a toilet.
William Freudenthal's attorney told reporters Wednesday his client did not commit murder.
"It looks like there was some sort of argument in the home and the wife fell and struck her head on something. I don't have information about what it is, but he is charged with second-degree murder and there's no allegation of (assault and battery with a deadly weapon), there's no allegation of a weapon being used, so I infer from that it's some sort of a fall-accident," James Reardon said.
The police report states Freudenthal was found trying to perform CPR on his wife and admits pushing her.
The couple's 23-year-old daughter was in the home at the time of the incident, but it is not clear if she is a witness in the case.
Worcester Police Chief Timothy Bent said officers have been to the Freudenthal's home in the past for "domestic abuse situations."
Worcester County District Attorney William Early said there have been 2,000 cases of domestic violence in the county this year.
He is due back in court April 26th.
(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
