MERRILL, Wis. (AP) - A woman who was strangled and stabbed had been determined to reconcile with her estranged husband who is on trial in Lincoln County in her death, a close friend of the victim said.
Julie Zietlow testified that Anita Bucki was planning to move back into the couple’s Town of Corning home a day before she disappeared, despite the knowledge that her husband, Mark Bucki, had a new girlfriend. Bucki reported his wife missing on April 26. Her body was found May 9 in a Taylor County swamp about 20 miles away.
Zietlow told jurors Tuesday she tried to talk Anita out of moving back in with her husband, Daily Herald Media (https://wdhne.ws/1iwAGsM ) reported.
“I didn’t like what (Mark Bucki) said to her on the phone,” Zietlow said. “He told Anita he had adventures planned with his new girlfriend and that she should move on.”
Jurors also heard the 911 call Mark Bucki made the evening he reported his wife missing. He told the dispatcher his wife was “psychologically a mess” and had threatened suicide. Dispatcher Christine Turner, who has 11 years of experience, testified Mark Bucki did not “sound emotional” on the call.
Bucki is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and strangulation and suffocation.
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Information from: Wausau Daily Herald Media, https://www.wausaudailyherald.com
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