Blackhawk Man Suspected In Wife's Death Charged With Murder, Torture

BLACKHAWK (CBS SF) – A man accused of killing his wife in the wealthy East Bay community of Blackhawk on Sunday has been charged with murder, elder abuse and torture, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.

John Tercheria, 69, was arrested Monday, the day after his wife, 69-year-old Linda Marie Tercheria, was found dead from blunt force head trauma at 4:10 p.m. in their 4,000-square-foot home in the 4300 block of Quail Run Lane, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

He was booked into jail but posted $1 million bail later that day.  After further investigation, sheriff's deputies served a new arrest warrant to Tercheria at a home in Dublin on Tuesday night. He remains in custody on $2.1 million bail, sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.

The district attorney's office filed charges in the case on Wednesday. His arraignment was postponed until Aug. 23.

Tercheria briefly played minor league baseball for the Midwest League Wisconsin Rapids Twins in 1968. He pitched 10 innings with a 10.80 ERA and didn't get a hit in two at bats.

More recently, he participated in a senior softball league in the East Bay, playing with the Old A's until his retirement. His over-60 team won a statewide senior softball championship in 2006, with Tercheria posting a .789 batting average in the tournament.

Tercheria was inducted into the Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2007.

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