Jurors deliberating fate of Sonoma Valley man charged with killing his wife

Jurors on Wednesday began deliberating the fate of a Sonoma Valley man charged with strangling his wife last year.

Steven Rothschild, 73, does not contest that he killed his wife, Juanita Rothschild, 67, on ?Aug. 4, 2017, at their Amherst Circle home in Boyes Hot Springs. The jury, however, must decide whether he committed a premeditated act of violence or whether he snapped after years of being subjected to emotional abuse.

“A big part of this trial is whether you believe everything this man said,” Deputy District Attorney Javier Vaca said during his closing argument Wednesday, pointing to Rothschild, who was seated at the defense table in a light gray suit coat over his dress shirt.

Vaca argued Rothschild committed an attack “fueled by anger and rage” on his wife, punching her multiple times and strangling her. Vaca told jurors he should be found guilty of first-degree murder, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison, and he asked them to disregard Rothschild’s defense that he had been subjected to years of emotional abuse by his wife of 36 years.

Rothschild testified during the five-day trial that his wife was controlling and berated him daily, sometimes for hours. She barred him from attending his son’s wedding in 2016 and rarely let him communicate with his family by phone or in person without her participation, he testified.

His attorney, Steven Gallenson, asked the jurors to set aside any bias they might have toward a man who claims to have been abused by his wife and to imagine if the gender roles were reversed. He described a cycle of abuse that included Juanita Rothschild’s tirades followed by her husband’s attempts to appease her with praise through letters and daily speeches.

The night of her murder, she berated him during the drive home from a concert and “that cycle started,” Gallenson said.

“He knew what was coming and he snapped,” he said.

During his closing argument, Gallenson reminded the jury about testimony from the couple’s therapist who described a final session with her alone. She unrelentingly berated the counselor and wouldn’t stop, which the defense attorney said gave further credence to Rothschild’s descriptions of his wife’s behavior.

Gallenson entered into evidence more than 230 pages of letters written by Rothschild to his wife admitting to his character flaws, praising her and promising to be a better husband. Rothschild had testified his wife stopped him from doing activities on his own, like golfing or even reading the paper.

Vaca argued Rothschild’s letters show the opposite - that he was apologizing for his bad behavior and did not indicate any problem with his wife.

In addition to Rothschild, the jury heard testimony from Sonoma County sheriff’s detectives, a forensic pathologist and multiple mental health professionals.

Judge Dana Simonds instructed the jury to evaluate the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses in order to decide whether the prosecution has proved the crime was first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter. The judge explained in detail to the jurors the differences between each.

Gallenson suggested the jurors also could acquit Rothschild if they believe testimony from a neuropsychologist who said a battery of tests revealed Rothschild may have been unconscious when he attacked his wife because he suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and mild cognitive impairment from early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

“He went into survival mode, and that happens after years of abuse,” Gallenson said. “That’s fight, flight or freeze.”

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.