A Dover physician convicted of voluntary manslaughter following the death of his wife was sentenced to serve 12 to 16 years, officials announced Friday. Ingolf Tuerk, 63, faced judgement after he admitted to strangling Kathleen McLean, during a heated argument amidst their divorce proceedings. The incident led to the discovery of McLean’s body in a nearby pond, weighted down by rocks, recounted WHDH in a report.
The trial, which ended last month, had Tuerk's defense admit to the killing yet disputed the circumstances surrounding it. Claiming self-defense, Tuerk’s attorney stated that McLean struck Tuerk with a glass during their altercation. "I'm sorry, Katie. I'm so sorry. I know we will see each other in the afterlife, and I hope we can make peace with each other and maybe you will be able to find a way to forgive me," Tuerk expressed in court, as reported by WHDH.
Although the prosecution sought a first-degree murder conviction, the jury found Tuerk guilty of the lesser charge. WCVB noted Tuerk's reaction to the verdict, detailing that he cried upon hearing the decision. Tuerk is to carry out his sentence at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. Finalization of the sentence took into account the five years Tuerk has already served since the incident.
Reflecting on the loss, McLean’s sister Beth Melanson described to the court the harrowing task of preparing her sister for burial. "After an autopsy and two days in a dirty pond, my beautiful sister did not look beautiful. I had to clean dirty black pond mud from under her nails, I had to put lipstick and jewelry on her, I had to fix her hair. I put her in a bright Lilly Pulitzer dress, because that’s who she was. She was bright and she was happy," Melanson recounted as obtained by WHDH.
Prior to this tragic outcome, Tuerk was known in the medical community for his work with robotic surgery, even being featured on WCVB's Chronicle in 2013. However, his career faced a downfall following allegations of false billing MassHealth for unused equipment, a case which resulted in a $150,000 settlement in 2019, highlighted WCVB. McLean’s death occurred while Tuerk was out on bail for previous domestic charges and had been ordered to maintain a distance from her. Comprehensive details regarding the nature of their relationship emerged over the course of the trial.
