Tuesday night turned deadly when a Florida woman allegedly bludgeoned her husband to death and then made a chilling attempt to cover her tracks—by doing a load of laundry.
Bonnie Tietgens, 60, Fort Pierce, is now facing charges of Second Degree Murder and Tampering with Evidence in the death of her husband, William Tietgens, 64, inside their home on the 5200 block of Birch Drive.
The shocking incident came to light just after 10:00 p.m. when the couple’s adult children discovered the gruesome scene. According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, the ordeal began around 9:00 p.m., when Bonnie Tietgens allegedly called her son and delivered a terrifying confession: she stated that “dad was dead” and admitted to striking him with a billy club.
Alarmed and unable to reach their father, the son and his sister rushed to the residence, deputies say.
They found William Tietgens lying on the ground with severe head trauma and immediately called 911. Deputies arrived within minutes, attempting life-saving measures, but sadly, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
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Caught Red-Handed
The scene inside the garage revealed the desperate effort to conceal the crime. Deputies located Bonnie Tietgens near a washing machine, where a blood-soaked blanket lay on the ground beside her.
Investigators noted that the washing machine was loaded with blood-soaked clothing and towels, and as deputies took her into custody, Tietgens was reportedly in the act of pressing the start cycle, apparently in a frantic bid to destroy potential evidence.
Sheriff Richard Del Toro extended his support to the victim’s family, stating, “We are committed to ensuring justice is served and will continue to support the victim’s loved ones through this investigation.”
Bonnie Tietgens was immediately detained, arrested after an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division, and is currently being held in the St. Lucie County Jail.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Detectives are working to piece together the full sequence of events that led to the tragic death.
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