A Chelsea man was held on $15,000 cash bail and had his open bail on an earlier domestic violence case revoked at his arraignment this morning for allegedly striking his wife, who later died, inside their Maverick Street residence Monday evening.

FREDERICK WILKES (D.O.B. 5/18/56) was formally charged today with assault and battery upon Theresa Kenna Wilkes for his alleged actions during a physical altercation that erupted in front of a third party who was present inside their home at the time. He already faces an open assault case stemming from earlier alleged abuse dating back to September.

Theresa Wilkes was found deceased in the driveway of 123 Maverick St. shortly after 6:00 Tuesday morning. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet ruled on the cause or manner of her death.

State Police homicide detectives assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office are investigating the circumstances of Theresa Wilkes’ death, as they do all unattended deaths in Chelsea. They are assisted by Chelsea Police detectives, who responded to the scene early yesterday and have committed key resources to the investigation.

Conley urged victims of any crime, including intimate partner violence, to call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide domestic violence hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Frederick Wilkes will return to court on Dec. 15. He is represented by attorney Aviva Jeruchim.