Dibartolo Prosecutors To Rest Case

Prosecutors will end their case against former sheriff’s deputy Tom DiBartolo today, then wait and see what testimony the defense presents.

Two police detectives spent three hours Monday testifying about their final interrogation of DiBartolo before his arrest on Jan. 29 for the murder of his wife.

Detectives Roger Bays and Cal Walker said they arrested him after 10 hours of questioning about the death of his wife Patty.

Both detectives said they asked DiBartolo to come to the Public Safety Building on Jan. 29 to identify possible suspects from a photo lineup. Prosecutors already were planning to arrest him during the visit, Bays said.

After viewing 10 photos, DiBartolo told the detectives that none of the faces resembled the person he said killed his wife.

The detectives said DiBartolo’s statements that day created more discrepancies from his earlier accounts of his wife’s death.

Prosecutors say DiBartolo, 43, shot his wife to death in Lincoln Park last Nov. 2, because he wanted to collect insurance money and have relationships with other women.

DiBartolo said he and his wife were accosted by two men in the park who demanded money. He said one grabbed a handgun from their van and fired two shots. The first shot killed his wife, the second wounded him in the abdomen.

Defense attorney Maryann Moreno will call between 20 and 30 witnesses during the next week of the trial.

, DataTimes