A Clarkston man charged with murdering his wife and dog last year is in court today.
Joseph Mauti, 32, is in court for his preliminary examination.
Mauti faces life in prison if convicted in the murder at the family home on Cheshire Park Drive.
The crime, deputies say, took place as the couple's two young children were inside the home.
Deputies say they were called for a welfare check, and found Lindsey Mauti dead on the garage floor with the dog's body next to her. It appears they were killed with a baseball bat.
Deputies say Joseph was previously convicted of domestic violence in 2014.
