Manslaughter, not murder, in Rothschild case

After years of enduring emotional abuse and cruelty, Steven Rothschild said, he finally snapped, strangling his wife of 36 years to death on the couch of their Sonoma Valley home. This week, a jury in his murder trial agreed, finding the 73-year-old guilty of voluntary manslaughter — not first degree murder.

The prosecution didn’t make its case that Rothschild committed a premeditated killing and get life in prison. For the lesser crime, he may serve no time in jail at all: the sentence (to be announced next month) could be probation only, or up to 11 years in state prison.

The cause of Juanita Rothschild’s death on August 4, 2017, was never in question. Her husband admitted he killed her when he called 911 that night. The couple had been to a concert. On the drive home, Rothschild said, she cruelly indulged an ongoing routine of berating and insulting him. It was the last straw, argued a defense team that had the means to put several mental health professionals on the stand to establish Rothschild’s fragile state of mind.

Post-traumatic stress syndrome, and impairment from impending Alzheimer’s disease, were factors, it was said. Years of such abuse — Rothschild testified he had to read her statement of love and praise each morning or suffer another tirade, for one example — suddenly sent him over the edge. Where he goes next is up to the judge, with sentencing on October 30.

— Val Robichaud