Was a Young Mother's Death Murder?
May 27, 2005 — -- In 12 years of marriage Mark and Linda Adanalian had built a respectable upper-middle class life for themselves in Fresno, Calif. Mark, 49, was a successful carpet salesman and Linda was a homemaker raising their four children. To outsiders, the couple was doing well. But family and friends say the couple was struggling -- so much so that Linda was recording their arguments. Did the marital stress lead to something more sinister that led the vibrant 37-year-old mother to simply drop dead one day?
The original coroner could not determine a cause of death, but Linda's family is convinced she didn't die of any natural cause. They believe Mark killed her.
But is Mark a victim of a grieving family's search for answers?
Initially, by most accounts, the marriage was one of love for Mark and practicality for Linda. He pursued her and eventually won her over. She was looking for a marriage that would give her stability and a chance to have children.
Dave Dalition, Linda's brother says even before the wedding, Linda kept one goal front and center -- becoming a mother. "She wanted a stable family life, and she wanted to have children who were raised in a stable family," he told "20/20."
By 2000, Linda had that family: four children -- three girls and a boy -- and the couple had bought an expensive new home in Fresno.
But the growing family had put a strain on the marriage, Dalition said. "Linda wanted a big family. Mark did not," he said.
Linda's sister Meg Bakich agrees that Mark felt burdened by the latest addition to the family. "He was mad. He did not want to have another child, Linda said, 'What do you want me to do? She's here," Bakich said.
Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Mark became ill and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The once-loving couple's relationship continued to deteriorate. Mark was angry and his health was declining. They were no longer affectionate with each other. They went two years without having sex.
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