NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- An 86-year-old man was charged with murder and other crimes Thursday in the death of his 78-year-old wife, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase at their Queens home this week, police said Friday.
In addition to the murder charge, Ovidio Porras faces counts of criminal contempt and tampering with evidence in Luz Porras' death in Woodhaven on Wednesday night.
Police said the charges against him are preliminary as investigators wait for the medical examiner to determine the cause and manner of her death, which has not yet been deemed a homicide.
She was found dead at the base of a staircase at their home on 91st Street around 8:20 p.m., according to police, who said she'd suffered trauma to her face.
The couple was arguing that night when he allegedly shoved her down the stairs, police said. It's unclear what they were fighting about.
Investigators are trying to determine if she was only shoved and then broke her neck on the steps, or if she was also subjected to punching or other forms of assault, according to police.
The tampering rap stems from investigators' suspicion that he positioned her body in a way to make it appear as though she'd fallen down the stairs, police sources told the Daily News. Their son is reportedly the person who found her unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of the staircase.
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