SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — It is one of the biggest murder cases in Spokane in the last 25 years.
In 1997, a jury found Thomas DiBartolo guilty of murdering his wife at a park on Spokane's South Hill.
Now, the former Spokane County deputy will soon return to Spokane.
A judge sentenced him to 26 years in prison, but could be released after 20 years at the earliest with good behavior. He's nearing the end of his sentence with an expected release date of February 2020.
Records show he served most of his time at a Rhode Island corrections facility.
According to Washington Department of Corrections, DiBartolo was transferred back to Washington state in May 2018. Then, to a work release facility in Yakima August this year.
Jeremy Barclay with the Washington DOC said inmates are only eligible for work release within the last 12 months of their sentence.
He confirms DiBartolo's work release was suspended. But that is not because he did something wrong while in custody. Barclay said it is standard protocol to suspend work release within two weeks of a scheduled court hearing.
He said Spokane County prosecutors requested a hearing for DiBartolo in early November. The purpose of the hearing is not confirmed. When he returns to Spokane for the hearing, he will be in county jail custody.
However, this afternoon the DOC reported he was returned to work release from the Yakima County Jail. The DOC determined the transport was premature.
DiBartolo's return to Spokane will come close to 23 years since his wife's murder.
It happened on November 2nd, 1996 in Lincoln Park.
He told told police two black men robbed them. But evidence from the scene later proved, Dibartolo shot his wife, Patty, in the head and tried to cover up the crime by shooting himself.
According to the DOC, he is still eligible for an estimated release from prison in February next year.