ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County doctor was sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting to killing his wife.
Thomas Wentzell, an internal medicine physician in Ocoee, pleaded no contest on Tuesday to second-degree murder.
He was arrested in December after Windermere police responded to Magnolia Street and found his wife, Linda Wentzell, dead inside their home.
An arrest affidavit said detectives noticed cuts and scratches to his face, neck and arms that were “consistent with defensive wounds from an altercation.”
Investigators said he initially lied and had inconsistent stories about what happened. Then, days later, he called 911 confessing that he “deserved to die” because he had killed his wife during an argument.
After his arrest, Orlando Health issued a statement regarding Wentzell’s private practice:
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Orlando Health physician practice of Dr. Thomas Wentzell in Ocoee, FL has been closed. Orlando Health is working to reschedule his patients. No further information is available at this time.
Wentzell was convicted and immediately sentenced.