KWOS Jefferson City News Authority
(AP) — A Mid – Missouri man accused of killing his wife admitted Tuesday that he buried her body in a park but insisted that her death was an accident that happened after he pushed her during an argument.
Joseph Elledge is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, whom he reported missing in October 2019. Her remains were found in March at Rock Bridge park near Columbia, Missouri.
Prosecutors rested their case on Monday, after presenting a week of evidence that detailed the couple’s troubled and deteriorating relationship. Ji moved to Missouri from China to study at the University of Missouri and stayed after she married Elledge.
On the stand Tuesday, Elledge said he and his wife argued on Oct. 8, 2019, after he confronted her about exchanging sexual messages with a man on a China-based messaging service. He said they pushed each other during the argument and she fell and hit her head.
