Dr. Ingolf Tuerk, 63, is accused of strangling Kathleen McLean, 45, to death in their Dover home in May 2020 and dumping her body in a nearby pond.
Tuerk’s defense has argued in court documents that McLean died during a drunken fight between the two over their relationship. The couple had recently dropped efforts to divorce each other, according to defense filings, and were attempting to reconcile after a tumultuous period that included McLean reporting Tuerk to police for physical abuse and Tuerk’s suspicions that McLean was cheating on him.
Tuerk was a urologist at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston until he was terminated over accusations of fraudulent billing to Medicaid, reported The Associated Press. McLean ran Birch Tree Energy and Healing, an alternative healing service.
Tuerk’s trial is scheduled to begin March 25 with jury selection.
