Virginia Man Found Guilty of Killing Wife After Trying to Cover Up Crime

A suburban Virginia man has been found guilty of killing his wife after prosecutors say he shot himself as part of a cover-up effort.

Laszlo Pentek was convicted of first-degree murder Friday morning for the death of Donna Pentek. She was 51.

His defense suggested that the mother shot herself. Her husband said he didn't know who shot them and that he thought he hit his head on the bathtub and passed out.

The couple's 13-year-old old daughter came home and found her mother dead and her father bleeding in the tub.

Officers received a call about a double shooting in a home in the 9200 block of Okla Drive in Fairfax just before 3:30 p.m. Jan. 6, 2017. They found Donna Pentek and Laszlo Pentek, 55, both shot.

Donna Pentek was found on her bed, dead of a gunshot wound to the head.

Laszlo Pentek's attorney said his client was a victim as well.

His daughter arrived home and found her father bleeding in the tub. While calling 911, the preteen found her mother shot to death, the attorney said.

Pentek sought bond so he could be with his children while waiting for trial.

The prosecutor had a much different take, calling Pentek a cold-blooded killer, saying, "It’s clear she was executed ... He went to extreme lengths, including shooting himself in the tub, to hide this fact. “

The prosecutor also told the judge that while a gun was found in Donna Pentek’s hand, the autopsy revealed the bullet that killed her could not have been self-inflicted. And there was a second gun — found in the tub with Laszlo Pentek.

A judge previously denied bond, ruling that Pentek posed a danger if released.

Investigators pursued the case for two years before Pentek was indicted in February.