SEATTLE, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Prosecutors said a Seattle man's attempt to cover his tracks is what eventually led a jury to convict him of killing his wife seven years ago.
Martin "David" Pietz placed a call from a phone belonging to his wife, Nicole Pietz, to his own phone several hours after police said he strangled her to death in their condo. The call, meant to dupe police into thinking Nicole was still alive, "pinged" off a cell tower near Pietz's work, giving jurors a final piece of evidence in what prosecutors conceded was a largely circumstantial case against Pietz, the Seattle Times reported Monday.
Prosecutors said Pietz had been serially cheating on his wife when the two got into an argument in January 2006. Pietz strangled his wife to death, then dumped her body in a wooded area outside Seattle. He ditched her car and reported to work later that day, as expected, they said.
That evening, police said Pietz feigned surprise when Nicole didn't show up at a friend's dinner party triggering an investigation into her disappearance.
Jurors deliberated for a day-and-a-half before convicting Pietz of second-degree murder. He faces a prison term of 10 to 18 1/2 years when sentenced later this year.
