Philadelphia police arrested and charged the husband of a jogger who was found strangled in a park last week with her murder, authorities announced Sunday.
WXTF-TV reported that Christopher Murray, 48, was arrested Sunday morning. Police told the station that Murray had confessed to killing his wife after he failed a lie detector test.
Murray's 46-year-old wife, Constance, was found dead Tuesday in Pennypack Park in northeast Philadelphia. The mother of two had gone out running the night before.
"There were certain parts of his story that just didn't add up. Didn't seem ... [Murray said] his wife was missing but [he] contacted nobody, no friends, no family to find out if she was with them. Instead [he] immediately went to hospitals and went to the police station ... [it] seemed almost a show," Philadelphia Police Lt. Philip Riehl said.
Riehl said Murray has expressed remorse. "I think it was more of a rage incident more than premeditated," he said.
Investigators say Murray trailed his wife in a car while she went out Monday night, and the two began to argue. Police say Murray continued to follow her, and the pair went to a bench at the park where they continued to fight.
"She went up there voluntarily to talk to him about whatever was going on and things went bad," Riehl said.
Christopher Murray strangled his wife and left her body near the bench, police said. He called police early Wednesday to report her missing, and a woman walking her dog found Connie Murray's body a few hours later.
Connie Murray's headphones and cellphone were recovered in a nearby sewer.
On Saturday evening, police took Murray in for questioning, and impounded his silver Ford Taurus.
"When we watched them take the car last night I had a gut feeling. I was like, 'Why are they taking his car?'" neighbor Lisa Kowalski said.
A memorial service was scheduled for Sunday and the funeral for Monday, according to an obituary. The couple have two daughters, ages 12 and 15.
In a phone interview with the Philadelphia Daily News last week, Christopher Murray described his wife's death as "devastating" and said she was "a beautiful woman, a loving, caring mother, a fabulous friend."
Murray was denied bail, and no attorney is listed for him in court papers. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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