Amid a day filled with testimony, closing statements and tornado warnings, a Newton County jury delivered a guilty sentence to Carlos Roncali, who was accused of murdering his wife Marian Roncali over Labor Day weekend 2020.
The jury convicted Roncali of capital murder, agreeing with the prosecution that a kidnapping occurred while she was killed. According to the medical examiner’s report, the cause of death was a drug overdose. However, the prosecution showed the photos of the victim to the jury during closing arguments, pointing to the bruising and marks left by wire ties used to “hog tie” for a while during her final hours of life.
The defense tried to argue that the prosecution did not provide enough proof of kidnapping, arguing that the two were married and Carlos had Marian tied up to protect her from injuring herself and causing more damage. Defense attorney Nick Serra lobbied the jury to disregard the charges of capital murder and kidnapping and contended that the real matter was to decide whether Carlos was guilty of murder in the second degree or manslaughter.
After just more than two hours of deliberation, the jury returned shortly before 5 p.m. Dec. 14 and sided with the prosecution’s stance that the killing occurred during a kidnapping.
Marian’s family hugged and cried after court was adjourned after being instructed by Duncan not to react while court was in session.
Assistant District Attorneys Mitch Thomas and Chris Posey said the key piece of testimony in the trial was that of the Roncali’s son, Eli. He testified once on the first day and was recalled by the defense.
They also felt like the zip ties and Carlos’ own testimony during an interview the week after the incident after he signed a Miranda waiver form was enough to convince the jury that the incident occurred during a kidnapping.
“Eli had to take the stand and testify two times during the trial,” Posey said. “I think the jury believed his testimony, and he won over the jury.”
“While this will not bring Marian back, we do hope that this will bring some kind of closure to this situation,” Thomas said. “I feel like justice was served.”
At the close of the trial, Circuit Judge Mark Duncan thanked the jury for their service. The final 12 were selected from a jury pool of more than 100 potential jurors.
Duncan set sentencing for Roncali on Jan. 4, 2023 during the Leake County term. However, the death penalty will not be an option since Serra had not been certified to try a capital case prior to taking on the case.
The parents of Carlos Roncali, James and Sherry Roncali, face charges of accessory to murder after the fact in a future trial.
At a glance
Carlos Roncali was convicted of the capital murder of his wife, Marian Roncali, by Newton County grand jury and faces a sentencing hearing on Jan. 4 in Circuit Court held in Leake County of life in prison without parole.
The key evidence in the trial, according to the prosecution, was the testimony of Eli Roncali, the son of Carlos and Marian Roncali.
Because lead defense attorney Nick Serra had not yet been qualified to try a capital case, the death penalty was taken off the table.
The parents of Carlos Roncali, James and Sherry Roncali, face charges of accessory to murder after the fact in a future trial.
