Nearly two years after beating his wife in a “gruesome” scene, Donald Frey was sentenced to four years probation in a plea deal.
Frey, 76, of Griffith, admitted July 2 to Level 5 felony domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury. He was originally charged with attempted murder.
Deputy Prosecutor C.J. Washington told Lake Superior Judge Pro Tempore Jamise Perkins that Frey started drinking again that night after a 20-plus year break. That aggravated an unspecified “health” condition that fueled his behavior, she said.
They tacked on additional “conditions” with the plea, knowing his wife was staying with him, Washington said.
His wife Lenora Frey told Perkins she wanted him “home” and what happened was a “one-time thing.”
Defense lawyer Tim Bianco said the couple had been married nearly 60 years. His client was very sorry for what happened, the product of a “bad night.”
Donald Frey apologized in court to “my wife,” “the courts,” and “myself.”
The plea bans him from drinking alcohol while he is on probation. His medical issues will have to be monitored by a doctor. He will also have to attend counseling and couples’ counseling with his wife.
Police arrived Nov. 11, 2022 on the 1200 block of N. Colfax Street after a relative called the cops. Frey, in his underwear, swore, smelled like alcohol and said he would kill his wife and the relative, charges allege.
Officers restrained Frey after he got “aggressive” as officers started to look for the woman. He had dried blood on his hands, but no other injuries, according to the affidavit.
In the bedroom, they found a “gruesome” scene on the floor. The woman was bloodied, her whole head was swollen, and both of her eyes were bleeding and swollen shut, charges state. She was in-and-out of consciousness and not able to talk, court records state.
At the hospital, the woman was “very battered,” charges state. The woman said she had been in an abusive relationship with Frey for 55 years, the affidavit states.
The woman called police the next day, asking why he was in jail, saying she did not want to press charges, the affidavit states.
