A southern California man who killed his wife and propped up her body on a sofa as her children opened Christmas presents was convicted of second-degree murder.
William Wallace, 39, of Anaheim, could face 15 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in June, the Orange County district attorney’s office said on Wednesday.
Za’Zell Preston, 26, was taking college classes in hopes of becoming a domestic violence counsellor when she was fatally beaten on December 24 or early December 25 in 2011 by Wallace, who already had served jail time for beating her, the statement said.
Prosecutors said the couple had gone to a neighbour’s Christmas Eve party, and a neighbour described hearing an argument later that night.
