Potential Motive Revealed Through Court Documents In El Dorado County Murder Case
PLEASANT VALLEY (CBS13) — New information was released in the murder case of an El Dorado County man accused of killing his wife.
The District Attorney in El Dorado County officially charged 44-year-old Anthony Gumina with the murder of his wife, Heather Gumina Waters. Gumina made his first appearance in court Tuesday.
Heather Gumina Waters had been missing for months when her body was found in Pleasant Valley.
The District Attorney's office is now shedding light on what they believe may have motivated him to kill his wife.
"He wasn't facing anybody, to me, body language says a lot," says a long-time friend of the couple who showed up in court.
She says she knew Gumina Waters as a young girl and wore pink in her honor to the court appearance.
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Gumina appeared in court, silent. He looked dazed, with his eyes focused straight ahead. He avoided looking at the packed courtroom and the cameras pointed toward him.
The criminal complaint filed Tuesday afternoon says Gumina Waters was killed by her husband because she "was a witness to a crime and was intentionally killed to prevent her from testifying in criminal proceedings."
"I don't know if he's guilty, I have my own opinion, but that's for the courts to say and not me," said the mutual friend.
She said the last time she saw the couple together, back in March, they were acting like nothing was wrong.
"Things happen behind closed doors," she said.
What was happening behind closed doors is laid out in a criminal complaint filed in January. A probation violation report claims Gumina attacked Gumina Waters while she held her four-year-old son. Gumina was charged with "cruelty to a child by endangering their health."
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It also says Gumina stopped Gumina Waters from calling 911. The most recent case accuses Gumina of breaking his wife's collarbone. This happened the night before she went missing.
Outside of the courtroom, Gumina's family showed up to support him but had no comment for reporters on the allegation or motive. CBS13 spoke with Gumina's first cousin before the arraignment. He says Gumina is innocent.
"I just want people that know him to stand up and say what's right. Tony is not it. Tony is not the murderer," he said.
Gumina accepted a public defender for his murder charge but will keep his original attorney for the previous domestic violence case on his record from January. He will be back in court on September 24th.
