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Police: Man Who Claimed Wife Drowned Killed Her, Dumped Body In Pool, Went To Applebee's

WOODBURY, N.J. (CBS 3/AP) — Prosecutors say a New Jersey man beat his wife to death, dumped her body in their backyard swimming pool then drove to a local restaurant in an attempt to cover up the killing.

In an announcement Wednesday, Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said 51-year-old Norman Long, of Woolwich Township, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 47-year-old Michelle Long.

Dalton said during the press conference that Mr. Long tried to cover-up the murder by placing her body in the swimming pool and then going to a nearby Applebee's.

"Our investigation determined that Mr. Long killed his wife inside their home and placed her fully-clothed body in their backyard swimming pool," he said. "He subsequently drove to a local restaurant and upon his return pretended to discover her body in a pool and advised first responders that she drowned."

However, an autopsy determined her cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Long has been committed to a state psychiatric hospital following his arrest Tuesday after prosecutors say he threatened suicide.

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(TM and Copyright 2017 CBS and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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