Wife's Internet History Reveals Chilling Details In NJ Man's Death

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A search of internet browsing history in Monday's stunning Middletown fatal shooting — in which a woman, 73, is accused of killing her husband, 74, inside their home in a quiet suburban neighborhood — revealed the wife had previously searched on her iPhone "If you shoot someone in the head will they die instantly," police say.

Family members also told detectives the deceased husband, Rocky V. Linzalone, had suffered several strokes recently and that his wife, Michele Linzalone, was his primary caretaker. Those same family members told police this appeared to take a toll on the accused woman and she became resentful towards her husband.

All of these new details were made public Wednesday, when the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office released an affidavit that sheds many new details on the fatal shooting just two weeks before Christmas.

Linzalone is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her husband, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

She is currently being held at the Monmouth County jail and is scheduled to have a detention hearing this Friday, where a judge will decide if she remains in jail until her trial, or is set free on bail. She made an appearance Tuesday at her arraignment via videoconference; due to the coronavirus, her arraignment was held virtually.

In the affidavit, Middletown Police Detective Keith Hirschbein tells the entire chain of events that unfolded Monday:

The police detective said he was dispatched to 29 Borden Road in Middletown at 10:13 a.m. Monday for a 911 call of a shooting.

It was the wife who called 911 and indicated that she had “accidentally” shot her husband. She told the 911 dispatcher that she was playing with the gun and it went off and hit her husband. She told the dispatcher that her husband was shot in the back of the head and was breathing “lightly."

When the dispatcher asked if the victim was still alive, she replied “so far." Additionally, she indicated that the firearm used was a Glock and that it was located on the dresser.

"During the call, defendant sounded calm and indifferent and provided all of the information that was requested," said the detective in the affidavit.

When police got to the Borden Road home, the woman directed them to a second-floor bedroom. Upon entry, the victim, her husband, was located on the bed with a gunshot wound to his head, with a comforter completely covering his body with a pillow resting up against his head. Middletown EMS and paramedics responded, but the man was pronounced dead as a result of the shooting.

The officers said they observed a spent ballistic shell casing on the bed, next to the victim, and a Glock handgun was located on the dresser directly next to the bed with an additional round in the gun. No one else was home at the time.

Another responding patrol officer from Middletown Police Department was met by the woman in the kitchen area of the home. During their conversation, she indicated to the officer that "she was playing with the gun when she shot her husband," read the affidavit.

When the officer asked her what she meant by "playing," she stated that she was aiming the firearm at her husband while he was sleeping. She stated that she then went to fire the gun, believing the chamber to be empty, and a round was fired, which struck the man in the head.

When the officer asked her why she believed the firearm was empty, the woman said she was unsure if a bullet was was in the chamber. But the magazine with bullets was attached to the gun during the incident, said police. Linzalone then further told police that the handgun was stored in a drawer next her bed for protection and was usually loaded in the event it should be needed.

In addition, Linzalone also said told police she waited approximately twenty to thirty minutes to contact 911 after the shooting "because she was in shock and she wanted to get dressed and brush her teeth," read the statement.

"The officer noted that defendant had an indifferent, nonchalant demeanor during her conversation with him, which did not change throughout the conversation," it read.

Subscribe to Patch for local news: https://patch.com/subscribe

When the officer asked her if she had a cell phone, Linzalone retrieved an Apple iPhone from her purse and supplied it to him.

Detectives then obtained search warrants for the home, the woman, the two cars parked in the garage and her iPhone.

Linzalone was then transported to the Middletown Township Police Department by a marked patrol car and shortly after her arrival, she was placed in an interview room. Detectives tried to interview her there, however Linzalone invoked her rights and requested an attorney.

As a result, no interview at police headquarters was conducted.

Police say a preliminary search of Linzalone's phone revealed the following: At 9:51 a.m. that same day — just minutes before her husband was shot — Linzalone searched on her phone “If you shoot someone in the head will they die instantly."

This search was conducted approximately 22 minutes prior to the 911 call.

Immediately after completing that search, Linzalone then visited a website with the search “What does it feel like to get shot in the head," say police. Seconds later, at approximately 9:52 a.m., she visited another website with the search, “Do you die instantly from a gunshot to the head? Do you feel any pain at all?”

A further search of her iPhone search history showed that on Nov. 18, Linzalone made several searches about firearms ammunition. One of those searches included, “Are hollow points more powerful.”

Middletown Police and county detectives are still searching her phone history.

A search of the Borden Road home revealed a expended round of ammunition in the pillow under the man's head, on the other side of the wound in his head, in addition to the aforementioned shell casing lying on the bed.

Detectives then interviewed two family members of the husband and wife. The family members indicated that the husband had suffered several strokes in the past two years, which rendered him disabled and required his wife to be his primary caregiver.

"The family members stated that this appeared to take a toll on the defendant and she became resentful for this towards the victim," read the affidavit.

After unearthing all this information Monday and Tuesday, Linzalone was charged Tuesday at midday with first-degree murder and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

After she was criminally charged, police say Linzalone told them: "If I was the only one there, how can they prove it wasn't an accident?"

Detectives advised the woman they could not speak to her since had previously requested an attorney.

Friday's detention hearing is when the judge will decide whether Linzalone will remain in jail or be allowed out of jail with or without bail. In prior cases when people have been charged with first-degree murder in Monmouth County — such as the 2018 Colts Neck quadruple murder case — judges have decided to keep the accused in the county jail, with no option of posting bail.

She is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Asbury Park Press reports that Rocky Linzalone was a disabled military veteran and that he and his wife have lived in the two-story colonial house on Borden Road since at least 2016, when they purchased the house. The home was assessed at $644,000.

Initial Patch report: Middletown Woman Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of Husband

Get great local news. Sign up for Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com