VERNON HILLS, Ill. (STMW) – A north suburban Vernon Hills man is being held in Lake County Jail on $3 million bond on the charge he murdered his wife during a domestic dispute.

Ronald Stolberg, 47,  has been charged with first-degree murder/intent to kill or injure. Judge George Strickland set bond Friday during a hearing in Lake County Circuit Court.

At about 5:21 p.m. Wednesday, Vernon Hills police responded to a 9-1-1 call from Stolberg saying he had come home to find his 54-year-old wife dead. When police arrived they observed the deceased woman inside the residence.

Vernon Hills Police Cmdr. Rick Davies said a coroner’s autopsy was conducted on the woman’s body Thursday afternoon and it was determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation. The name of the victim was not being immediately released.

Davies said the investigation indicates there had been a domestic struggle between Stolberg and his wife and during the struggle the woman died.

“It appears he was on top of her and her face was forced into the floor and at some point she stopped breathing,” he said.

Stolberg is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on the murder charge June 27.

Davies said Stolberg was questioned by police following the incident on Wednesday and formally charged following the autopsy late Thursday.

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