Murder Suspect 'Too Upset' to Resuscitate Wife

Murder Suspect 'Too Upset' to Resuscitate Wife – A man accused of murdering his elderly wife told emergency operators he could not resuscitate her because he was too upset, an Australian court heard Tuesday.

Rosa Caruso, 72, was found beaten to death on the floor of her home in Melbourne in July 2008.

Peter Caruso, her husband of nearly 50 years, pleaded not guilty to her murder, claiming she was killed when he went to the store to buy bread and milk.

The emergency call he made to police after discovering her body was played to the jury at Melbourne's Supreme Court on Tuesday.

"We got a robbery, somebody killed my wife," he said.

When an ambulance operator tried to give Peter Caruso first aid instructions he replied: "I don't want to touch the body I upset already. I cannot touch my wife."

He told police the family home was turned upside down and some of his wife's jewelry was missing.

But prosecutor Christopher Beale told the court it was nothing more than a feeble attempt by Peter Caruso to conceal his crime.

Defense lawyer Philip Dunn said the jury needed to consider whether police used tunnel vision in their investigation.

"Just because he is the husband doesn't mean he is automatically responsible for the death of his wife," Dunn said.

The trial continues.