A Fort Pierce woman is behind bars after allegedly confessing to killing her husband inside their home, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies launched a homicide investigation late Wednesday night after finding the body of 64-year-old William Tietgens at a house on Birch Drive in the Indian River Estates neighborhood.
Sheriff Richard Del Toro said deputies responded around 10:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a possible deceased person. When they arrived, they found William Tietgens dead inside the residence.
The investigation began earlier that evening when Bonnie Tietgens, 60, tried to reach her adult son by phone. When he called her back around 9 p.m., she reportedly told him, “Dad was dead,” and admitted to “striking him with a billy club in the head,” Del Toro said to Palm Beach-based WPTV.
The son then contacted his sister, and the two went to their parents’ home after being unable to reach their father. They discovered his body and immediately called the authorities. When deputies arrived, Del Toro said they found Bonnie Tietgens in the garage near a washing machine.
A “blood-soaked blanket” lay beside her, and deputies found the machine filled with “blood-soaked clothing and towels.” The sheriff said Bonnie appeared to be starting a wash cycle “in an attempt to destroy evidence.” She was taken into custody and appeared intoxicated.
Detectives from the criminal investigations division later arrested Bonnie Tietgens on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She remains at the St. Lucie County Jail. Del Toro confirmed that alcohol was a factor in the incident.
Neighbors Ken Harris and Sue Rozman, who have lived in Indian River Estates for 11 years, said they were stunned by the news. “A lot of my friends live in this neighborhood,” Ken said. “Eventually you’re going to get to know a lot of people,” added Sue. They described the couple’s relationship as troubled.
“They definitely had their history, you know, drinking and fighting. It’s just it was kind of just a common occurrence for years,” Sue said. Del Toro noted that William Tietgens had been arrested years ago on domestic violence charges by Port St. Lucie police, but said there hadn’t been any recent calls to the home. The couple had been married for about 40 years.
“The thing that’s starting to get to me now is going Bonnie really did that,” Sue said. “She took someone’s life. I mean, that’s all there is to it, and in that way, in that awful way.” The Tietgens leave behind two adult children who have asked for privacy. “That is who I feel bad for,” Ken said. “They again, they lost their dad and their mom, essentially.”