Updated 5/12/2021 5:48 AM
The charges against Timothy Zondlo, an Elk Grove Village man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Oct. 8, 2018, death of his wife, are rooted in communication and miscommunication, Assistant Cook County Public Defender Caroline Glennon said Tuesday during opening statements in Zondlo's trial.
"Our client is deaf," said Glennon pointing out to physically distanced jurors that four American Sign Language interpreters have been enlisted to interpret for Zondlo, 55, "because the stakes for him are incredibly high."
Authorities say Karyn Zondlo, 46, died from blunt-force trauma, which Glennon attributed to an accident that occurred Oct. 7 in the couple's garage. According to Glennon, Timothy Zondlo was putting storage bins onto a shelf when one fell. To protect her, he pushed his wife, who was also deaf, out of the way, causing her to strike her head against a wall, she said. That caused a brain bleed, and Karyn Zondlo later collapsed in the couple's home and died the next day, said Glennon.