Prosecutor: Man propped dead wife on sofa in front of kids

<p>ANAHEIM, Calif. &mdash; A Southern California man who killed his wife propped up her body on a sofa, told their children she was drunk and had them open Christmas presents in front of her body, a prosecutor told jurors at his murder trial.</p>
<p>“This Christmas story does not have a happy ending, and unfortunately this is not just a story, it is real life,” Heather Brown, senior deputy district attorney in Orange County, said Monday as trial began for William Wallace of Anaheim, the Orange County Register <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2021/03/08/anaheim-man-propped-dead-wife-on-couch-for-kids-opening-christmas-presents-prosecutor-says/?utm_email=14C2846AA461A432147C14EF71&amp;g2i_eui=R6%2fyNWiGK7JSgwjthwSSnw%3d%3d&amp;g2i_source=newsletter&amp;utm_source=listrak&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.ocregister.com%2f2021%2f03%2f08%2fanaheim-man-propped-dead-wife-on-couch-for-kids-opening-christmas-presents-prosecutor-says%2f&amp;utm_campaign=scng-ocr-localist&amp;utm_content=curated">reported</a>.</p>
<p>Za’Zell Preston, 26, was taking college classes in hopes of becoming a domestic violence counselor when she was killed in 2011 by a man who already had served jail time for beating her, the paper said.</p>
<p>The couple had gone to a neighbor’s Christmas Eve party and a neighbor described hearing an argument later that night, Brown said.</p>
<p>Wallace told a member of Preston’s family that “we were drinking and during the argument I tossed her around a bit,” the prosecutor said.</p>
<p>Brown said the next morning, Wallace dragged his wife’s body from the bedroom to the living room couch, placed sunglasses on her and told the children: “Mommy ruined Christmas, she got drunk and ruined Christmas.”</p>
<p>Preston was slumped over on the couch when paramedics arrived. She left a newborn son and two daughters, who were then 3 and 8 years old.</p>
<p>Wallace’s attorney argued that Preston died from injuries after she drunkenly tripped and fell into a glass table, shattering it.</p>
<p>“Mr. Wallace is being accused of something that is not his fault,” Heather Moorhead told jurors. “You will hear about a relationship that was full of arguing and yelling, but also a lot of love.”</p>
<p>Wallace, 39, could face up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.</p>