John Berthold: Man pleads guilty to second-degree homicide in wife's murder with bottle of juice

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN: In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, an 81-year-old man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of his 77-year-old wife last year. He told police that he killed her with an unopened bottle of sparkling grape juice because she was a "narcissist" and he could no longer handle her.

John E Berthold pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional homicide with a domestic violence modifier on Thursday, May 16, for the 2023 murder of Diane Berthold, as per court documents reported by Law&Crime.

Diane Berthold's son finds his mother dead with towel covering her face

In exchange for dropping the first-degree intentional homicide charge and eliminating a clause that would have carried an "increased penalty" due to the elderly victim of the crime, John Berthold's attorneys worked out a settlement with the prosecution.

In addition to imposing a $2 million bond, Eau Claire Circuit Court Judge Beverly Wickstrom mandated that the State Department of Corrections finish its pre-sentence investigation by July 18.

Berthold's legal team must complete its investigation by August 30.

In the town of Washington, on July 13, 2023, one of the couple's sons went to his parents' house in the 3400 block of McElroy Court and thought it was empty or that his parents were taking a nap, as reported by the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

However, the police wrote in the affidavit that the Bertholds' son told them shortly after that he heard someone "seemingly uncontrollably yelling" from his parents' bedroom.

The son supposedly went into the bedroom to find out what was causing the disturbance and found his father there, apparently trying to end his life by covering his head with a plastic bag.

The son took the bag off his father's head and tried to revive him before calling 911. The son had turned on the lights and discovered Diane Berthold dead with a towel covering her face.

John Berthold confesses to killing his wife Diane Berthold

John Berthold confessed to killing his wife in an interview with the police, telling them that she was a "narcissist" and that he just "couldn't take it anymore," according to Eau Claire ABC affiliate WQOW.

He went on to say that he had been considering killing his wife for weeks before acting on his thoughts and striking her while she was asleep with the unopened bottle of sparkling juice.

The financial advisor for John and Diane Berthold allegedly spoke with investigators, explaining that although the couple had been considering a divorce, they had decided against it in the days before Diane Bethold's murder.

John Berthold stated in a police interview that his wife's desire for their estate to be divided equally among their children and grandchildren was the main reason he chose to kill his wife rather than file for divorce.

According to WQOW, John Berthold also showed no remorse for the murder and told authorities he would do it again if given the chance.

Berthold's sentencing hearing is currently set for September 18, when he is expected to appear before Wickstrom once again.