Naman Shrestha
Investigation Discovery’s ‘American Monster: We Were Fooled’ dives deep into the tragic murder of Sherri Ponsati, a mother of two, in September 2017. What seemed like an accident at first turned out to be something far more sinister as the detectives worked on the case and uncovered some dark secrets that led to her demise. The episode not only features officials linked to the case but also the victims’ loved ones who share their experience of the tragedy and how it affected them.
Sherri Ponsati Got Married and Stayed in Different States
Born and raised in the village of Johnson Creek in Wisconsin, Sherri Mae Ponsati (née Springhuth) came into the world of Susan Klausch as a bundle of joy in the early 1980s. She grew up in a tight-knit and loving family and turned out to be a happy-go-lucky person who was optimistic even in difficult circumstances. After graduating from Johnson Creek High School in 2003, she began working at Bethesda, which involved helping out residents in need. By 2008, she worked at a nonprofit group home, serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
In September of the same year, Sherri came across a military man named Mark Eric Ponsati on an online dating website and they got to talking. Talking led to dating, and dating led to them tying the knot in June 2010 in the presence of their loved ones. Within a year, the couple welcomed their daughter into the world and named her Maddie. Five years into the marriage, they gave birth to their son, Max. Since his job demanded him to be on the move constantly, Sherri and the kids followed him as they lived in Hawaii, Connecticut, and Alabama, for short periods of time.
Sherri Lost Her Life in the Bathroom Right Before Her Family’s Move to Kentucky
Finally, in July 2016, the Ponsati family settled in Arizona after Mark secured a job at a helicopter manufacturer as an in-house attorney in the city of Mesa. In the initial phase, they stayed in Sherri’s aunt and uncle’s home in Val Vista Lakes, but only until they rented an apartment on Jamaica Way. Described as a devoted mother to her two children, she was also a nature and animal lover. Her love for animal was so much that she even became a published author, writing a children’s book titled ‘Wilbert’s Blue Whale Tale.’ Dedicated to Maddie and Max, the book teaches children and raises awareness about endangered species.
Sherri even submitted another children’s book to a publisher in June 2017. Unfortunately, Mark got sacked from his new job in six months, but she got a job at a cardiology provider. Just a while before her untimely demise, Mark reportedly got a job offer in Kentucky, and the family had begun packing up for the cross-country move after spending about a year in Arizona. But right before the move, on September 7, 2017, the police received a call from the Ponsati residence that the 33-year-old mother of two had slipped in the bathroom and became unresponsive.
When the authorities arrived at the scene, they found Sherri Ponsati lying on her bathroom floor, unconscious. Immediately, she was rushed to the Banner Gateway Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead within an hour. Apart from the wound on her head, the autopsy also indicated that she had suffered multiple rib and skull fractures, multiple blunt force injuries, and spine and brain bruising consistent with violent shaking. Upon careful examination of the crime scene, they found a large amount of bath soap on the floor and a rather suspicious blood pattern.
The Killer Was Someone Sherri Ponsati Knew Closely
It was Sherri Ponsati’s husband, Mark Ponsati, who found his wife on the bathroom floor and called the police. On the call, he claimed that the couple had been bathing together until he went to take a nap. But when he woke up and looked for her, she was bleeding on the floor. According to him, she slipped in the bathroom and injured her head in the process, leading to her tragic demise. However, the autopsy reports did not match his story, as the multiple injuries on the victim’s body would not have been possible if it was a simple case of her tripping and hitting her head once. When the investigators interviewed Mark about their relationship, he claimed that they had not had any arguments recently and that their marriage was smooth sailing.
However, his claims turned out to be false, as more than a couple of Sherri’s family members told the police that Mark and Sherri shared a volatile relationship and that the former was a controlling figure in her life. Moreover, the investigators received reports of the couple’s separation and infidelity claims. One of the relatives also claimed that Mark had threatened to murder Sherri if she tried to get out of the marriage. In light of all the testimonies from the victim’s family members, Mark was arrested and charged with second-degree murder just a week after the murder on September 14 and held on a $1 million bond.
Mark Eric Ponsati is Behind Bars at a Prison Facility of Arizona
More than five years after his arrest, Mark Eric Ponsati stood trial for the murder of his wife, Sherry Ponsati, in January 2023. During the trial, the defense argued that the multiple injuries on the victim were a result of her tripping multiple times. Defending Mark, his attorney also emphasized that the family’s move to Kentucky was planned before the death. However, despite the defense’s best efforts, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted Mark Ponsati for the second-degree murder of Sherri.
A few months later, on May 19, 2023, the convict was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the crime he committed in September 2017. After the sentencing, Sherri’s mother, Susan Klausch, addressed the court. She stated, “I have been waiting for 5 years and 8 months to speak about my precious daughter. The pain is indescribable, especially when I heard about all the injuries she received.” Currently, it seems that he is incarcerated at an Arizona prison serving his sentence.
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