Burlington County Man Admits Killing Wife With Hammer, Knife: PO

A Burlington County man has admitted to using a hammer and a knife to kill his wife during an attack in their home last year, authorities announced.

Kenneth D. Arsenault, 60, of Pemberton, has pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.

He faces 27 years in state prison and would be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole under the plea deal, authorities said. Sentencing is scheduled for July 5.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. on April 7, 2018, when police were called to the Cochita Trail home on a report of a woman screaming for help. Upon arrival, Pemberton Township police officers found Arsenault on top of his wife on the ground outside their residence, according to the prosecutor's office.

He was taken into custody, and Lorraine Arsenault, 61, was transported to the Lourdes Emergency Department at Deborah in Browns Mills, where she was pronounced dead just before 11 p.m., according to the prosecutor's office. He was indicted in the fatal stabbing last summer.