Carla Rintala made headlines for being the first woman out of Massachusetts to be charged in the death of her legal wife. Over a decade later, she is back in the headlines as she heads into her fourth murder trial on the same charge of first-degree murder, which two juries were hung on in the past. The 56-year-old was convicted in 2016, but the state’s Supreme Judicial Court overturned the ruling, citing erroneous evidence.
Cara Rinata Mugshot for 2011 arrest in death of wife (photo courtesy of Narragansett Police Department)
Read Related Also: The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Rintala was found cradling her cold, dead wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, in the basement of the home they shared on March 29, 2010. Authorities reported that fresh paint covered both the defendant and victim, who exhibited signs of manual strangulation.
The Massachusetts woman initially told police that she had been arguing with her wife since the night prior and she understood that she was the “number one suspect.” Rintala is seen on a McDonald’s surveillance footage dumping items into a trash can where three rags were retrieved, with one containing what appeared to be a faint bloodstain. The bloodstain could not be attributed to Annamarie.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
