A 39-year-old California father is getting ready for his trial over the 2011 murder of his wife whom he killed after an argument, prosecutors said.
It was Christmas Eve when police discovered the body of 26-year-old Za’Zell Preston lying on a bed with an apparent injury to the head.
Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown said that William Wallace was drunk when he killed Preston and placed her body on a bed inside their home.
While doing so, the dad-of-three told his two daughters and son to open up their presents. He repeatedly said: “Mommy ruined Christmas; she got drunk and ruined Christmas.”
But the husband’s defense team insisted that Preston was not killed and died after hitting her head over the night.
“Mr. Wallace is being accused of something that is not his fault,” lawyer Heather Moorhead said. “You will hear about a relationship that was full of arguing and yelling, but also a lot of love.”
The suspect had since been detained at the maximum-security Theo Lacy Facility on a $1,050,000 bond.
