fatally stabbing wife in the back By Erin McClary CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP — Officers arrested the very man who reported to 911 dispatchers that his wife had been stabbed in the back the morning of Dec. 5. Chesterfield Township resident Leonart Nazarko, 41, was charged with first-degree murder Dec. 7 for fatally stabbing his wife and mother of two, Andoneta. She was also 41. Around 8:45 a.m., police responded to the Nazarko residence in the 50000 block of Dove Lane, located in a subdivision near Gratiot Avenue and Cotton Road. They found Andoneta with stab wounds to her back. She died of her injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. An autopsy was conducted Dec. 7. The couple’s two sons, 11 and 16, were at home when the assault occurred. Two calls were made to 911; at least one of which came from Nazarko. It was not clear who made the second call. “It appeared to start with an argument and it escalated to the point where the husband assaulted the wife with a knife,” said Chesterfield Township Police Detective Sgt. Deron Myers. “Collectively, (the sons) both witnessed portions of the argument and the assault that followed.” Myers said Nazarko made statements in his 911 call and later talked to a detective about the assault. “He’s implicated himself as being responsible.” The 911 tapes were not released to media, as advised by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. The Nazarko couple moved to the United States from Albania 11 years ago. Myers said they were relatively new to the area, having moved from another location in Macomb County to Chesterfield only five months ago. Nazarko has no “remarkable criminal history,” Myers continued, and Chesterfield Township Police have no documented domestic assaults from the couple’s household. Myers added that detectives have not received any reports of prior domestic violence between the couple from other jurisdictions, either. Based on the initial investigation, it was unclear how the squabble began. “The kids heard the argument but didn’t fully ascertain what it was about,” Myers said, adding that the couple’s first language is Albanian. Nazarko is being held in jail on a $1 million cash bond. His preliminary examination is scheduled to take place Dec. 14 at New Baltimore’s 42-2 District Court. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. You can reach Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1118. |
