RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – A man accused of hacking his wife to death with a machete and leaving her body in her bed was arraigned Tuesday on a second-degree murder charge.
Thomas Delenzik was ordered held without bail during a hearing before state Supreme Court Justice Robert Doyle.
He was arrested Jan. 24 after his wife, Myong-Ok Delenzik, 46, was found dead by her daughter.
Police initially said that Delenzik, 42, and his wife were arguing over his refusal to take an undisclosed medication, but Assistant District Attorney Nancy Clifford said Tuesday that the argument centered on her anger over his unemployment and her threats to leave him after 19 years of marriage.
"We are not aware of any mental illness," Clifford said.
Delenzik's court-appointed attorney declined to comment.
Authorities say Delenzik hacked his wife to death with a machete that he kept hidden under the couple's bed.
"Why he kept a machete under the bed is anybody's guess," Clifford said.
The woman's blood-covered body was discovered by her 17-year-old daughter, who was looking for a ride to school. The teenager's 12-year-old brother also was in the home at the time.
Prosecutors say Delenzik ditched the machete in the Peconic River, but later told police where they could find it.
Delenzik held jobs in finance on Wall Street but is currently unemployed. He met his wife in South Korea when he was serving in the military about 20 years ago, Clifford said.
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