NJ man killed wife, dumped body and then went to Applebee’s, prosecutor says

WOOLWICH — A  township man is accused of killing his wife, dumping the body in their pool and then going for takeout before calling police to report that his wife had drowned.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said Norman F. Long, 51, has been charged with the murder of 47-year-old Michelle Long on June 17. An autopsy of the woman determined the cause of death to be homicide by blunt force trauma.

Norman Long is also facing charges of fourth-degree concealing evidence "by disposing paper towels containing the blood of Michelle Long in the kitchen trashcan," according to the prosecutor's office. Long is also charged with fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law in connection to dumping the body and discarding the bloody paper towels.

After killing his wife, Long went to a nearby Applebee's for takeout around 6:30 that night and reported finding her body afterwards. When police responded to the scene around 8:35 that night and started performing CPR, the prosecutor's office said Long "became combative" and had to be restrained.

Police also found a dead dog at the bottom of the pool but spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld said there was "nothing provable about the death of the dog."

After a six-week investigation, Long was taken into custody. He was taken to the Ann Klein Forensic Center, a state psychiatric hospital.

Her obituary said she had two daughters and a grandson.

According to NJ.com, the Longs owned Long Construction Company. Norman Long filed for personal bankruptcy in April citing more than $500,000 in liabilities. The story said the couple had filed for bankruptcy in 2009 as well.

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Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or Adam.Hochron@townsquaremedia.com