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Pa. Man Accused Of Killing Wife, Lying About Wreck

FELTON, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man is in jail on a homicide charge after police accused him of assaulting, strangling and drowning his wife nearly two years ago and lying about an ATV wreck into a creek to cover up the crime.

State police said Thursday that 40-year-old Joseph Bernard Fitzpatrick III stood to collect more than $1.7 million from the June 2012 death of his wife Annemarie.

A police affidavit says Joseph Fitzpatrick searched the Internet for "life insurance review during contestability period" and "polygraph legal in which states" in the days before his wife died.

Detectives say Joseph Fitzpatrick was having an extramarital affair at the time and had plans to divorce.

A call seeking comment from his lawyer, Christopher Ferro, wasn't immediately returned.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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