A Ridgefield man pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity Thursday in connection with the June 2023 strangulation death of his 80-year-old wife.
Wayne Leonetti, 74, is charged with two counts of second-degree domestic violence murder in the death of Alice Bolen.
He is scheduled for a hearing April 17, when psychologists are scheduled to testify about their assessments of Leonetti’s mental state, and the judge is set to rule on whether Leonetti had the capacity to tell right from wrong. If the judge acquits Leonetti under a finding of insanity, he’d be committed to Western State Hospital, a state psychiatric hospital, possibly for the rest of his life.
Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at 11:12 a.m. June 28, 2023, to a house in the 19400 block of Northwest 61st Avenue.
Leonetti called 911 to report he’d just killed his wife, Bolen. A family member also called 911 to report Leonetti had called her and said he’d killed his wife, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Bolen was pronounced dead at the scene, despite life-saving efforts. Investigators said her injuries were consistent with strangulation, according to court records.
Family members told deputies the couple had been married for 1½ years. They described Leonetti as controlling, especially when it came to Bolen spending time with her grandchildren. They said Leonetti insisted on being with her, according to court records.
Bolen was diagnosed with breast cancer two months prior, which family members said apparently caused Leonetti to be unable to sleep and have suicidal thoughts. Family members also said they took Leonetti to a hospital about two weeks prior for mental health help and confiscated his firearms for safekeeping at his request, the court records state.
Bolen had spent time with her grandchildren the day before without Leonetti present, family said, which apparently upset him. She was supposed to pick up the children again that morning, but she didn’t show up. When family was unable to reach Bolen or Leonetti by phone, they came to the couple’s house and saw the large law enforcement presence, according to court records.
In an interview with deputies, Leonetti said he had a good relationship with Bolen and denied arguing with her. He said he’d been struggling with sleeping problems, which began with his wife’s cancer diagnosis, as well as depression, court records state.
Leonetti said his therapist told him Bolen’s cancer diagnosis triggered his post-traumatic stress disorder from when his previous spouse of more than 40 years died in 2019. He also later told investigators Bolen told him she was planning to leave him, according to court records.
Investigators said Leonetti was unable to recall most of the events of that morning.
