Domestic disputes can turn deadly in an instant.
But what happened in one quiet Florida neighborhood will leave you stunned.
And a Florida woman called her son with two words that ended her marriage of 40 years.
The phone call that changed everything
Bonnie Tietgens had been married to William Tietgens for more than four decades when she picked up the phone around 9 p.m. on Wednesday night.
The 60-year-old Fort Pierce woman had been trying to reach her adult son earlier in the evening.
When he finally called back, she delivered news that would shatter two families forever.
"Dad was dead," Bonnie told her son, according to St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro.¹
https://twitter.com/RichardDelToro/status/1976429676102099074
But she didn’t stop there.
Bonnie then admitted to striking him with a billy club.
The son immediately contacted his sister, and both siblings raced to their parents’ home on Birch Drive in the Indian River Estates neighborhood.
They arrived around 10 p.m. and found their worst fears confirmed – their 64-year-old father was lying dead on the floor of a bedroom.
The bloody cover-up attempt
When St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at 10:30 p.m., they found William Tietgens dead inside the home.
But they also discovered something that revealed the scope of what had happened.
Bonnie Tietgens was in the garage, standing near a washing machine with a bloody blanket lying next to her on the floor.
"She was in the process of basically pressing the start cycle on the machine," Sheriff Del Toro explained during a Thursday news conference.²
The washing machine was filled with bloodstained clothing and towels.
Deputies say she was actively trying to destroy evidence when they took her into custody.
Investigators found blood throughout the bedroom where William died – on the floor, bed, and ceiling – showing evidence of multiple strikes.
A wooden weapon resembling a bat was found in the garage near the washing machine.
Sheriff Del Toro noted that Bonnie appeared intoxicated when deputies arrived and said alcohol may have played a role in the deadly incident.
A troubled marriage finally reaches its breaking point
Neighbors in the quiet Indian River Estates subdivision say they weren’t entirely shocked by the tragic turn of events.
Sue Rozman, who has lived across the street from the couple for years, described a pattern of dysfunction that had been building for decades.
"They definitely had their history, a lot of drinking and fighting," Rozman told local media. "It was a common occurrence for years."³
Another neighbor, Ken Harris, said he would often see William walking his golden retriever and exchanging pleasantries, but knew there were problems behind closed doors.
The couple’s troubled relationship wasn’t just neighborhood gossip.
Records show William Tietgens was arrested several years ago on domestic violence charges by Port St. Lucie Police, though there had been no recent calls to their current residence.
The only other incident at the home was a 2019 report of shooting activity that turned out to be fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
But neighbors say the drinking and arguing continued over the years.
"You’d be outside sometimes, hear them," said another neighbor who asked not to be fully identified.⁴
The devastating aftermath
The tragic end to the Tietgens’ 40-year marriage has left their adult children without both parents.
Bonnie now sits in St. Lucie County Jail facing charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Her children have lost their father to violence and their mother to the criminal justice system.
"That is who I feel bad for," neighbor Ken Harris said. "They lost their dad and their mom essentially."⁵
The investigation remains active as detectives continue reviewing digital evidence and communications between Bonnie and her children.
What should have been the golden years for a couple married four decades instead ended in the most violent way possible.
The real victims here are the adult children who had to discover their father’s body and then watch their mother get arrested for his murder.
This isn’t just another domestic violence statistic – it’s a family completely destroyed by years of dysfunction that finally reached its deadly conclusion.
¹ St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro, "Press Conference," St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, October 9, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Sue Rozman, "Neighbor Interview," CBS12 News, October 9, 2025.
⁴ "Neighbor Interview," CBS12 News, October 9, 2025.
⁵ Ken Harris, "Neighbor Interview," CBS12 News, October 9, 2025.
