Iowa Suspect Fights for Wife’s Insurance Payout

A central Iowa man charged with killing his wife has spent months fighting with her estate to receive proceeds from her $250,000 life insurance policy, court records show.

Alexander Fazzino, 39, filed the insurance claim in June, the Des Moines Register reported. An insurance company said in a document filed with a Missouri court that Emily Fazzino bought the policy in 2003 and named her husband as beneficiary.

Alexander Fazzino is accused of killing his 32-year-old wife on Jan. 29, 2012. He was arrested Sunday in Lee’s Summit, Mo., and he was returned Wednesday to Boone County, where’s he’s being held on $1.5 million bail.

Boone Bank and Trust Co., the insurance company, has contended Fazzino’s request because of the suspicious nature of his wife’s death. It filed a petition asking a Missouri circuit court to keep the money until a judge could determine whether Fazzino or his wife’s estate and their three children should get the money.

“To put it bluntly, if he caused her death, he doesn’t get to receive (the money),” said Chip Baltimore, general counsel and trust officer for the bank.

The newspaper reported the insurance policy case was set to go to trial next year, but Baltimore said it may be “far down the road” before any decision is made because of the new charges. The Missouri court currently holds the money.

Emily Fazzino was found naked on a bathroom floor in the couple’s house, according to court documents. Her husband called 911 and told a dispatcher that his wife was trying to kill herself. He later told investigators that he believed his wife had overdosed on prescription pills.

The Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office said Emily Fazzino’s remains had no sign of drug abuse or a drug overdose. Her autopsy identified several areas of trauma, including the neck, throat and head.

Fazzino moved from Boone to Missouri to live with family after his wife’s death. He filed the insurance claim just over four months later.

Baltimore said the bank will ask a judge to give the money to Emily Fazzino’s estate if her husband is found guilty. If he’s found innocent, the bank will make a decision then.