A University of Massachusetts Amherst chef is facing both murder and assault and battery on a police officer charges after authorities alleged he killed his wife at the on-campus hotel.
36-year-old Jeffrey MacDonald, from Wilbraham, was arraigned Thursday morning in Eastern Hampshire District Court.
He was reportedly taken into custody Wednesday night after campus police and firefighters were called to the hotel known as Hotel UMass.
MacDonald allegedly assaulted responding officers, including striking one multiple times. Authorities also discovered the body of a woman who had been violently assaulted.
Court documents state that, after being read his rights, MacDonald admitted to severely beating the victim, and that "it was his intent to kill her."
MacDonald was ordered held without bail.
Officials have not named the victim, though multiple outlets, including The Boston Globe and Springfield Republican newspapers, have identified the woman as the suspect's wife, 31-year-old Emma MacDonald.
The Northwestern District Attorney's Office confirmed the victim's relationship to MacDonald and that both were university employees.
In a statement released Thursday morning, UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes called the news "heartbreaking and unsettling," and expressed condolences.
"I also recognize that the lack of complete information may add to the distress many are feeling, but this is necessary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation," he said in the letter to the campus community.
Reyes also noted there was no ongoing threat to the campus, and that counseling services were being made available to all students, faculty and staff.
The university directed WAMC to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office for further information. Following Thursday's arraignment, MacDonald's attorney declined to comment.
