Saturday, November 19, 2011

Chesterfield Yownship, MI: Man convicted of lesser murder charge in killing of wife

A jury found a Chesterfield Twp man guilty of 2nd degree murder in the brutal killing of his wife. The verdict followed a two day trial and five hours of deliberations.

The trial was brief because there was no question that Leonart Nazarko, 43, killed his wife Andoneta, 41, during a domestic quarrel. The only real issue was Nazarko’s state of mind, which would determine the appropriate crime and corresponding sentence.

The murder occurred on December 5, 2009 at the couple’s home on Dove Lane near Gratiot and Cotton, in the presence of the couple’s two sons, now 13 and 18.

According to the younger child, the victim had told her husband the day before that she wanted a divorce.

The testimony of the children indicated that an argument ensued the following day in which Nazarko began acting out, kicking appliances and throwing things on the floor. It ended only after he had fatally stabbed his wife in the back.

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