Michael DeMaio Update: Greenwich, Conn. man arraigned on charges he tried to kill wife with baseball bat

(CBS) GREENWICH, Conn. - Michael DeMaio, a Greenwich, Conn. man accused of bludgeoning his wife with a baseball bat at their mansion Tuesday night, was arraigned Wednesday on an attempted murder and first-degree assault charge, the Greenwich Time newspaper reports.

The 55-year-old DeMaio was arraigned in Stamford Superior Court and was ordered held on $1 million bond after a prosecutor told the judge that the attempted murder charge could turn into a murder charge, the paper reports.

Diane DeMaio suffered severe injuries likely resulting in brain damage, according to the paper. She was listed in critical condition at Stamford Hospital, but sources tell the paper she has been transferred to a facility that can provide more intensive care.

Howard Ehring, a public defender who represented DeMaio in court, reportedly asked the judge to lower the bond to $250,000, saying that DeMaio had no criminal record. The judge rejected the request and issued a protective order that prohibits DeMaio from having any contact with his wife in the event that he posts bond.

If DeMaio does make bond, he will be electronically monitored with a GPS device. He was ordered to be back in court Sept. 18.

A source told the paper that the domestic dispute erupted after Diane DeMaio told her husband that she was leaving him. Police have only said that an argument escalated to the point where Michael DeMaio seriously assaulted his wife.

Police were called to the home at around 6 p.m. Tuesday and upon arrival police found Michael DeMaio at the door and an elderly woman, later identified as Diane DeMaio's mother, on the second floor of the home screaming, "help me, my daughter is dying," the paper says.

Diane DeMaio was found bleeding profusely. She was rushed to the hospital.

After being detained, Michael DeMaio confessed to police that he hit his wife numerous times with a baseball bat after he became angry with her, the paper reports.

"I lost it, I just lost it," DeMaio reportedly told police.

Ehring confirmed Michael DeMaio gave a statement to police but he didn't have details. He says DeMaio is under "extreme emotional distress in terms of his personal life."