Massachusetts Doctor Kills Wife During Argument, Dumps Body In Pond

A renowned surgeon from Boston, Massachusetts, was charged with murder after he strangled his wife, then put rocks in her pants and dumped her body in a pond.

According to the court records, the prominent local urologist, identified as 58-year-old Dr. Ingolf Tuerk, following a domestic dispute, strangled his wife to death and later dumped her body in a pond near their home in the Boston suburb of Dover.

On Friday, Tuerk reported his wife, 45-year-old Kathleen McLean, was missing. On the same day, police found him unresponsive at the Residence Inn in Dedham with cuts on his wrists, arms, and legs and a syringe, alcohol, and a knife nearby. He was revived.

He was charged Saturday after he confessed to the gruesome crime. He told the police they could find her body in a pond near their home. When McLean’s body was found, she was naked from the waist up.

During Tuerk’s arraignment Monday, he pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held without bail. According to the prosecutors, Tuerk had confessed to killing his wife Thursday night, during an altercation between the two while he was drunk and full of rage.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa Beatty told local media, “He said that the victim struck him on the head with what he thought was a glass. He said that he reacted to that aggressive situation and said that he had choked the victim. He said that she was fighting at first, and then he continued to choke her, then she passed out and he realized he went too far."

"He said that she was dead in the bedroom, and was aware of that because he is a medical doctor,” she added.

According to records, Twerk had been physically abusive with Mclean in the past. She wanted a divorce and had also taken out a restraining order against Tuerk last month. She later had second thoughts and canceled it.

Court records showed Twerk was out on bail following domestic violence charges and had been ordered by a judge to stay away from his wife.

Twerk who specialised in robotic surgery had been serving as the chief of urology at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston before he was fired in February after he faced charges for medical billing fraud. He paid a fine of $150,000 as settlement.

Tuerk will be back in court June 10.