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Sentencing delayed by judge for restaurant owner who killed his wife so it can be done in person

By and David Komer online producer
Published  May 19, 2021 10:31pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A man who pleaded guilty in the murder of his own wife will have to wait to hear his fate after a judge decided to delay his sentencing but not everyone thinks this is a delay of justice.

"Those children lost a mother, a father now to prison," said Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido.

Sentencing postponed for man who murdered wife so he can hug father in person

The judge decided to postpone the sentencing until they could do it person. The sentencing has been pushed back to the middle of June. The hope is by then the court can meet in person.

The judicial aspect seemed to be over but  55-year-old Joseph Pelleschi was all set to be sentenced in Macomb County for the shooting death of his own wife Karen at their home in Clinton Township.

But the judge decided to postpone the sentencing until they could do it person. The sentencing has been pushed back to the middle of June. The hope is by then, court can meet in person. If the sentence guidelines are followed, the suspect would spend 12 years in prison.

Lucido thinks this might not be a bad thing in the long run. For one, victim impact statements may be more effective.  

"You have a chance to say things from your heart that you had a chance to sit back and reflect on, and that's not going to happen on Zoom or the way it should be," Lucido said.

But there may be a benefit for the accused as well - a chance for Pelleschi to say goodbye to his older father.

Lucido says he doesn't think that had much weight in the judge's decision.  

"The fact that someone wants to hug their father because they may never see them again, that's not really what we look to," Lucido said. "At the end of the day, it's what is in the best interest for the people that we serve. That is the folks in the state of Michigan and the victim's family that is left behind."

The murder happened back on January 16 at the couple's home near 18 Mile and Garfield. The suspect's wife died of a single gunshot to the head.

They had a family-owned restaurant called Villa, a fixture in Eastpointe for more than 60 years. Their deep roots only speak to the huge impact the murder and the trial has had for the community.

"Don't we all look to justice as a way to set a standard for some type of closure?" Lucido said. "I don't know if there will ever be peace and recompense with this family."