A Virginia man has been found guilty of murdering his wife and then shooting himself as part of an attempted cover-up, after allegedly discovering the truth about her financial problems.
Laszlo Pentek, 55, was convicted on Friday of first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of his wife, Donna, in Fairfax County.
The couple's 13-year-old daughter returned home on the afternoon of January 6 to find her mother dead from a gunshot wound to the head in the bedroom and her father wounded and bleeding in the bathtub.
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Laszlo Pentek, 55, was convicted on Friday of first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of his wife, 51-year-old Donna Pentek (right)
The couple's 13-year-old daughter found her mother dead and her father bleeding in the tub inside the family's home in Fairfax, Virginia, in January 2017
Police found this gun in Donna's hands, but it was later determined she could not have shot herself
First responders who arrived on the scene in the 9200 block of Okla Drive pronounced the woman dead from her injuries, reported NBC Washington.
Her husband was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
It was not until February 2019 - more than two years after the fatal shooting - that Pentek was arrested and charged with killing his wife and the mother of their two children, a son and daughter.
Police said forensic evidence led them to conclude that Pentek was the one who pulled the trigger, killing Donna, and then shot himself in an attempt to throw suspicion off himself, reported WUSA9.
During his seven-day trial, Pentek's defense suggested that his wife took her own life after being passed over for a promotion at work.
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Prosecutors said during his trial that Pentek shot his wife and mom-of-two in her sleep after finding paperwork detailing her bankruptcy
The husband said he did not know who shot him, telling police during an interview that he believed 'somebody was there' and that he 'heard voices' before hitting his head on the tub and passing out.
The prosecution insisted that Pentek shot his wife in her sleep after discovering paperwork detailing his wife’s bankruptcy and exploding in rage, reported The Washington Post.
A Fairfax County prosecutor labeled Pentek a 'cold-blooded killer' who 'executed' his wife and then went to great lengths to hide the murder, including placing a gun in Donna’s hands and wounding himself with a second gun, a Glock, in the bathtub.
Pentek faces up to a life sentence. A jury will deliberate his punishment after hearing impact testimony.
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