Restaurant owner to be charged in wife’s homicide
The owner of one of Macomb County’s oldest and most popular Italian restaurants is being held on charges relating to the fatal shooting of his wife.
Joseph Palleschi, 55, is being held in the Macomb County Jail, accused of killing 53-year-old Karen.
Palleschi and his siblings are the owners of Villa Restaurant on Gratiot Avenue, north of Eight Mile Road, in Eastpointe.
The family posted a message on Facebook Sunday evening, asking the patrons to be patient in light of a family “tragedy.”
“In light of a recent tragedy within the family, Villa will be closed through Tuesday, January 19,” the posting said. “We will reopen for carry out only on Wednesday, January 24 at 4 p.m.
“We thank you for your continued patronage and ask that you respect the privacy of the family as we mourn the loss of a loved one.”
The Clinton Township Police Department would neither confirm nor deny Joseph Palleschi is a suspect in his wife’s death.
Police were dispatched about 2:40 a.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired at a two-story home on Vincenzia Drive at Monticello, in the Terra Bella subdivision near 18 Mile and Garfield roads, in Clinton Township.
When officers arrived, they found the wife deceased lying in an area between the kitchen and garage. Investigators said it appeared she had been shot once.
The husband did not flee and surrendered to officers. Investigators said it appears alcohol was a factor in the incident.
The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office authorized one count of open murder in the case. Since today is a federal holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Palleschi is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.
He is being held without bond.
Founded by Orlando and Anna Palleschi, the Villa Restaurant is one of the county’s oldest restaurants. The eatery is celebrating its 65th year of operation this year.