Williamston man convicted of torturing his wife before she died in 2021

LANSING — A jury deliberated for less than an hour July 14 before convicting a Williamston man of torture and domestic violence in a case that grew out of his wife’s suspicious death in 2021.

The jury in Ingham County Circuit Court found Christopher Palazzolo, 44, guilty on both counts following a lengthy trial that was interrupted by a two-week hiatus. Palazzolo could receive a maximum sentence of up to life in prison when he goes before Judge Rosemarie Aquilina for sentencing on Sept. 3.

The tragic saga of Elise Palazzolo and her strange, messy relationship with her husband played out for weeks as prosecutors presented evidence that Christopher Palazzolo tortured her in the weeks before she died from a drug overdose.

Christopher Palazzolo admitted to causing the plethora of injuries found on her body after she died in the couple’s Williamston apartment in May 2021 and pointed to a handwritten “waiver” or “consent” form in which she purportedly gave him permission to physically discipline her for lying.

He claimed the waiver was Elise’s idea and had photos of her preparing it, Assistant Ingham County Prosecutor Angela DelVero noted in her closing argument. But the couple’s relationship might prompt a reasonable person to question whether it actually was Elise’s idea, DelVero said.

“It’s still unreasonable and unlikely that he would have gone along with the idea if he wasn’t the type of person who engaged in the crimes of domestic violence and torture on her,” DelVero said.

Defense attorney Dustyn Coontz acknowledged Chris Palazzolo was not a “model husband or even a good guy” but contended he acted with his wife’s consent. Coontz argued the state failed to prove he tortured her.

“The big elephant in the room … is the relationship between Chris and Elise,” Coontz said. “It’s a toxic relationship. It’s a bad relationship.”

Christopher Palazzolo is charged with torture and domestic violence. Those charges resulted from a lengthy investigation stemming from Elise Palazzolo’s death on May 7, 2021.

The trial before Aquilina began June 16 and continued for a couple of weeks before scheduled vacations prompted a two-week hiatus. The witnesses included many friends and family members of the Palazzolos, some of whom had pressured police because they believed Christopher Palazzolo caused his wife’s death.

A pathologist said Elise died from ingesting multiple prescription drugs, including anti-psychotic drugs. He was unable to determine whether the manner of death was suicide or homicide and suggested police do further investigation.

The pathologist documented numerous injuries in various stages of healing on Elise’s body, including contusions, scabs and scars. Some loop-shaped marks were likely caused by a metal hanger, and small, round marks were left by pellets fired from an air soft gun, according to testimony. Numerous photos of those injuries were shown to the jury.

Among other things, the “waiver” Elise purportedly wrote specified the punishment could include spanking, spanking with a wooden spoon, spanking with a wire hanger, cutting with a knife and choking.

Various written accounts purportedly left by Elise Palazzolo said her husband abused her sexually, physically, mentally and emotionally. DelVero presented testimony of controlling or abusive behavior by Christopher Palazzolo going back decades. She said Elise Palazzolo felt trapped, that she couldn’t leave the relationship without being killed or harmed.

In his closing argument, Coontz described the string of “minor characters coming in” as a “time-wasting coverup” designed to distract jurors from the fact the state couldn’t prove the elements of torture.

“I know this is a hard case. I know it’s an ugly case. It wasn’t fun for anybody. It’s hard to make sense of any of this,” he argued. “You don’t like Chris Palazzolo, that’s fine. You still have to acquit him.”

Contact Ken Palmer at kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Williamston man convicted of torturing his wife before she died in 2021

Reporting by Ken Palmer, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal

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