A California man accused of stabbing his wife to death in Concord was on bail for an earlier domestic violence case and subject to a court order barring him from contacting her or returning to the family home, prosecutors said.
Thomas John Iovenitti, 40, has been charged with murdering Alisha Iovenitti after police were called to a property on Panoramic Drive shortly before 9pm on Friday, 23 October.
Concord murder accused was under stay-away order
Officers responding to reports of a disturbance involving a man and a knife found a man and a woman unconscious with stab wounds, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Alisha Iovenitti was pronounced dead at the scene.
The criminal complaint alleges that Mr Iovenitti used a knife in the killing. He was also found suffering from stab wounds, although prosecutors have not publicly detailed how those injuries were caused.
At the time, Mr Iovenitti was free on $1,000 bail in a separate case arising from an incident on 9 May. He had been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to cause great bodily harm, corporal injury to a spouse and false imprisonment.
Prosecutors said a judge set bail on 19 May despite objections from the District Attorney’s Office. The court also issued stay-away orders preventing Mr Iovenitti from contacting his wife or going back to the family residence.
The new complaint includes further allegations linked to the October incident, including dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, assault with a deadly weapon and corporal injury to a spouse. It also contains five misdemeanour charges, including an alleged breach of a court order and four counts of child endangerment.
Mr Iovenitti remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility without bail. He was due to be arraigned at Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez on Wednesday, 28 October.
If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 29 years to life in prison, prosecutors said. The allegations have not been tested in court and Mr Iovenitti is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
