ROCK SPRINGS — A felony charge against a Green River woman accused of hitting her husband in the face with a bottle was amended following the husband’s death last week.
Linda Malone, 65, now faces a charge of second degree murder following the Sept. 15 death of her husband John Malone. The penalty she faces is a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison with the possibility of being sentenced to a lifetime term, as well as a potential fine of up to $10,000. She also faces three felony abuse of a vulnerable adult charges.
According to updated charging documents, the University of Utah hospice center notified Green River Police Department Det. Martha Holzgrafe that John Malone had died at 12:26 p.m. Sept. 15. He was flown to the University of Utah hospital for treatment of injuries that included brain bleeds and skull, jaw, and orbital fractures following an alleged attack by Linda.
The next day, Holzgrafe attended the autopsy conducted by Dr. Jacob Donnelly. At the end of the autopsy, Dr. Donnelly said it would take about 60 days to complete a full investigation, but did not see any underlying health conditions or diseases that would have resulted in John’s condition. He also said it was plausible the alleged weapon and manner described in how it was used could have caused the blunt force trauma that led to John’s death, noting several injuries observed to his brain.
