WINDERMERE, Fla. – A man arrested Thursday by Windermere police confessed to detectives that he killed his wife several days earlier, according to investigators.
Thomas Wentzell, 72, faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Linda Wentzell, the Windermere Police Department said in a news release.
Windermere police were dispatched Monday afternoon following a report of a dead woman, prompting officers to respond to the home that Thomas Wentzell and Linda Wentzell shared along Magnolia Street, the release states. Once there, officers reportedly identified the need for a thorough investigation.
It was said in the release that Thomas Wentzell and Linda Wentzell would have been the only people in the home at the time, as well as that signifigant inconsistencies revealed during initial interviews with Thomas Wentzell raised further questions. The scene was secured and search warrants were obtained, police said, adding assistance was requested from the Winter Garden Police Department and received via its Homicide Team and Forensics Unit, which Windermere police later thanked for critical support.
Come Thursday, around 9:55 a.m., the Ocoee Police Department — which reportedly shares a radio channel with Windermere police — allegedly received a dispatch call reporting Thomas Wentzell was expressing suicidal intentions. The caller claimed Thomas Wentzell said he “deserved to die” because he killed his wife, prompting Windermere officers to respond to the scene.
After Thomas Wentzell was taken into custody without incident, he was taken to the Windermere Police Department where he was interviewed by detectives and allegedly confessed to murdering Linda Wentzell, the release states, adding additional evidence found during a subsequent investigation included “a voicemail confession left for a loved one and a suicide note found at the Wentzell residence.”
According to Thomas Wentzell’s arrest affidavit, officers responding to the home on Monday noted cuts, bruises and abrasions were found on Thomas Wentzell’s face, neck and arms “consistent with defensive wounds from an altercation.” He allegedly told police that the injuries had been caused while he was playing with the family dog, the affidavit states.
Orlando Health issued a statement regarding Thomas Wentzell’s private practice:
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Orlando Health physician practice of Dr. Thomas Wentzell in Ocoee, FL has been closed. Orlando Health is working to reschedule his patients. No further information is available at this time.
Windermere police are still investigating.
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