Man sentenced after his wheelchair-bound wife was found dead on pile of trash in 'hoarder house'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TCN) -- A 70-year-old man will spend years behind bars in connection with the neglect death of his wife of 40 years.

According to a Feb. 28 news release from the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office, a jury found Louis Kornhaber guilty of second-degree murder and neglect of a disabled or elder adult resulting in serious physical injury. A judge sentenced him to 94 to 125 months, nearly eight to just over 10 years, in prison.

Louis Kornhaber's wife, 66-year-old Bonnie Kornhaber, was hospitalized for a medical condition that left her wheelchair-bound, and she returned home on Oct. 6, 2020. According to prosecutors, the defendant "secured her to the chair with a belt," but she fell onto the floor, where she remained for around six to eight months. Despite the fall, Louis Kornhaber reportedly failed to call 911 for help, which he told detectives was because "he and Bonnie were embarrassed by the conditions inside the house."

On June 4, 2021, Bonnie Kornhaber reportedly told her husband she was having issues breathing, but the defendant went to watch television for several hours. Prosecutors said he then called 911 and told authorities his wife was unresponsive.

First responders located the victim deceased, "lying on a pile of trash, surrounded by spoiled food in what detectives referred to as a 'hoarder house.'" She was reportedly "covered in her own waste," had "extensive sores," and there were insects "present in many of the open bed sores on her body."

MORE: