A California man allegedly killed his wife on Christmas Eve and then propped her body on the sofa while their children opened presents, telling them she was drunk, prosecutors have said.
William Wallace, 39, appeared in court on Monday charged with murdering his 26-year-old wife, Za’Zell Preston. The couple had two daughters and a newborn son.
Prosecutor Heather Brown told jurors that Wallace killed Preston after returning from a neighbour’s party on Christmas Eve 2011. He then dragged her body to the living room couch, put sunglasses on her, and told the children: “Mommy ruined Christmas, she got drunk and ruined Christmas.” The children opened their presents next to their dead mother, unaware of what had happened.
However, defence attorney Heather Moorhead denied Wallace was responsible, claiming Preston injured herself by falling into a glass table after drinking. She said Preston’s older daughter helped remove glass from her mother’s wounds.
The prosecution said Wallace had previously served jail time for beating Preston and had threatened to kill her on several occasions. One relative described finding a pregnant Preston lying in the street after an alleged beating.
Wallace was arrested on Christmas Day 2011 and has remained in custody. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
