Centereach Man Pleads Guilty To Wife's 2010 Murder

A Centereach man pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree manslaughter in connection to his wife's murder in 2010, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Joseph Jones, 34, who was arrested in March 2016, will be sentenced to serve 18 and one-half years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision, the DA says.

Authorities say Jones' wife Nicole Tessa, 31, was found in a shallow grave in the woods in North Patchogue in December 2010, just two days after her family reported her missing. A canine officer and his dog found Tessa's body after searching a wooded area near her home.

On the day of Tessa's death, the DA says she fought with her husband and accused Jones of stealing her Oxycodone pills and selling them.

Image via Suffolk County DA