A Wisconsin woman is dead in what her husband told cops was a suicide… But her shockingly brutal injuries say otherwise!
Earlier this week, La Crosse County Sheriff‘ Department deputies were dispatched to a local home where they discovered 36-year-old Zachary Fritz covered in blood and “screaming” at cops “she’s upstairs!” According to a criminal complaint, responding officers went upstairs and found the lifeless body. Zachary’s wife, who has not been named, was apparently gripping a knife in her dead hand. The disturbed husband claimed she had stabbed herself. He said he’d woken up to find his wife in that condition… But cops weren’t buying it. They said it looked more like there was a struggle in the bedroom. So what really went down??
Related: Woman Allegedly Zipepd BF Into Suitcase & Taunted Him As He Suffocated To Death!
Well, an autopsy report revealed the unnamed wife had been stabbed over 50 times all over her body… Including on her back and hamstrings! Even if she was a contortionist, that would be pretty hard to do! After the first couple stabs, you’d be too weak to keep going! And that’s not the only thing she couldn’t have done herself… According to the report, she had three bite marks ON HER FACE. She also displayed signs of blunt force trauma. With all that being said, her death was quickly ruled a homicide. The grieving husband was arrested and charged with first degree intentional homicide.
One of the worst things of all? The couple’s 4-year-old daughter was at home during the entire ordeal. And according to the criminal complaint, when Zachary’s father came to pick her up, his “first words in response to learning of his daughter-in-law’s passing was something along the lines of ‘[Zachary] killed her.’” Clearly those who knew the couple were bracing themselves for it. Oof.
So horrible. That poor little girl. Thank goodness Zachary’s father came to get her and shared his take on the situation.
The homicide suspect appeared in La Crosse County Circuit Court on Thursday via webcam for a bond hearing. Assistant District Attorney Andrew Burdick requested a large amount, and Judge Scott Horne obliged — setting bond at $1 MILLION, according to WXOW. The ADA argued:
“This is a situation where the defendant was found in the home covered in his wife’s blood. It said that she had killed herself. The stab wounds, the bite marks on her face the blunt force trauma was not consistent with the self inflicted injury.”
More details (below):
And this isn’t Zachary’s first run-in with the law… The attorney brought up a 2009 instance of domestic violence on Zachary’s record, of which he was apparently found not guilty due to a mental disease or defect. Hmm.
So, so tragic. We hope to see justice served this time!
[Images via La Crosse County Jail]
