Lawyer found dead as his murder trial loomed had accidental overdose, coroner says
A 60-year-old attorney found dead at his California home in early October, less than two months before his scheduled murder trial in the fatal shooting of his wife, died accidentally.
The Kern County coroner’s office ruled Monday that Mark Joseph Madrigali’s death was the result of drug intoxication and found he did not intend to cause his own death, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
His body was discovered by his defense lawyer, who went with another attorney to check on Madrigali after not hearing from him for a couple of days.
Madrigali had not denied shooting his wife, Trivia Jean Madrigali, 51, in the chest in the wee hours of June 12, 2013. But he said the shooting was an accident. Authorities initially charged him with attempted murder and domestic violence after he called 911 to report the shooting. The charge was upgraded to first-degree murder when she died a month later.
A graduate of Santa Barbara College of Law, according to online California State Bar records, Madrigali focused his practice on driving under the influence and traffic matters.
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Bakersfield Californian: “Attorney charged with wife’s murder found dead”
