BREAKING: Cinnaminson Area Man Admits To Fatally Choking Wife, Dumping Body In Maryland

A N.J man has admitted to killing his wife on New Year’s Eve and later disposing of her body in a rural area in Maryland.

Kyle J. Crosby, 29, admitted Tuesday that, on Dec. 31, 2014, he fatally choked his wife, Erica Crippen, age 26, inside their home and later transported her body to Maryland, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Crosby on Tuesday entered a guilty plea to aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension before Superior Court Judge Charles A. Delehey, according to the BCPO.

Under terms of the plea agreement, Crosby will be sentenced to 28 years in state prison on the aggravated manslaughter charge and three years on the hindering apprehension charge. The terms will run consecutively.

Crosby, of Mounty Laurel, was charged Jan. 13 with one count of murder for causing the death of his wife, Erica Crippen, who had been missing since New Year’s Eve. He was taken into custody the evening of Jan. 12 by officers from the Brooklawn Police Department following a traffic stop and foot chase in Bellmawr, Camden County, according to the BCPO.

Three searches were conducted in Maryland at different times by investigators from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mount Laurel Police Department, the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and the New Jersey State Police.

The remains of Erica Crippen were discovered March 17 by investigators in a rural area in Sykesville, Md. She was found underneath a pile of branches and limbs in a grove of pine trees off of Old Frederick Road in Carroll County.

She was wrapped in a fleece blanket. Her hands and feet had been bound with a cord that was also wrapped around her neck. She had duct tape across her mouth and nose, according to the BCPO.

Crosby’s mother, Jo Crosby, age 68, of Sicklerville was indicted in April on one count of hindering apprehension and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. She is currently free on $12,500 bail.

As part of the plea agreement with Kyle Crosby, the charges against his mother will be dismissed at sentencing. Judge Delehey set sentencing for February 4, 2016. The case was prosecuted by BCPO Assistant Prosecutor Mark Westfall.

The successful search was conducted following a forensic examination of the Global Positioning System found in Crosby’s vehicle after he was taken into custody on January 12. More than 8,600 coordinates had been recorded by the GPS device. Investigators determined that Crosby had spent more time along Old Frederick Road in Carroll County than at other locations and concentrated the search in that area, according to the BCPO.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore concluded that the manner of death was homicide and the cause was asphyxiation.

Erica Crippen lived with Crosby and two children, a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and their 3-month-old daughter. Her disappearance was brought to the attention of law enforcement officers after school officials contacted the Mount Laurel Police Department on January 7 and requested a wellness check at the family’s residence.

The request came after neither parent was present to pick up the older daughter at the end of the school day.

Kyle Crosby signed a missing person report that day indicating he had not seen his wife since January 1. Further investigation led to charges against Kyle Crosby filed on Jan. 10. The existence of the charge allowed law enforcement officers to execute the traffic stop on January 12 and detain Crosby.

Kyle Crosby remains in the Burlington County Jail on $1.2 million bail.