Man whose wife died after he drove into Goodyear lake indicted for murder

PHOENIX — Prosecutors officially accused a man of murdering his wife last month in a Goodyear lake crash, officials announced on Tuesday.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it indicted 35-year-old Anthony Joseph Maiorana for one count of second-degree murder.

He was originally booked into jail for manslaughter, police said.

An indictment is an official accusation, but it isn’t proof of guilt, MCAO added.

What caused the Goodyear lake crash that killed the suspect’s wife?

The suspect’s wife, Megan Maiorana, died on March 22, prosecutors said. Her husband was driving her when the vehicle drove into a residential lake within a gated community near Estrella Parkway and Willis Road at around 7:50 p.m., Goodyear police said.

The couple was driving back from a baseball game when the crash occurred, MCAO said.

The suspect’s blood alcohol content was allegedly more than twice the legal limit.

Witnesses called the Goodyear Police Department to report a vehicle that crashed into a lake and was rapidly sinking, officials said. Before the crash, they heard the vehicle speeding and screaming.

Police who responded to the scene found the suspect outside of the vehicle. He screamed that his wife was trapped inside, MCAO said.

Officers and bystanders tried multiple times to rescue the victim, but no one could get her out of the car. A dive team later found her dead in the vehicle, Goodyear police said.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell thanked everyone who tried to rescue Maoirana’s wife.

“I commend the brave citizens and officers in this situation who attempted to save this victim’s life,” Mitchell said in a statement. “We are pursuing this charge as a result of the husband’s reckless behavior.”