A Gilbert man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife after claiming she slipped in the bathroom.
Gilbert police report that on September 7, a call was placed to 911 by 36-year-old Mark Eric Ponsati. He told police his wife slipped in the bathroom and hit her head. The woman was taken to the hospital but did not survive her injuries.
An autopsy report indicates that her death "could not have been caused by a single slip and fall injury." The report also says she suffered from "multiple blunt force injuries, multiple rib fractures, multiple skull fractures, spine, and brain bruising consistent with violent shaking."
Police say Ponsati tried to destroy evidence by washing his and her clothes. They also believe Ponsati "staged" the bathroom. Police say a "large amount of blue bath soap (was) on the tile floor." They say the shape of the bottle would not allow that much soap to be poured out without being inverted.
Police say there were other indicators of staging in the house.
Ponsati was arrested on Thursday morning near Greenfield and Baseline roads and is being held for murder on a $1 million bond.
