A prosecutor says an ex-convict charged with killing a friend and hiding the body in his Long Island closet for nearly a week told police he tried to cut off the victim's head with an ax.
Newsday says Aston Barth is being held without bail after pleading not guilty Tuesday to murdering neighbor Jason Campbell. Barth's lawyer declined to comment.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Glenn Kurtzrock says the 33-year-old Barth told investigators he choked Campbell while the two argued in Barth's room in his Central Islip home Dec. 18. Barth's relatives found the body Monday.
Barth's mother, Connie Barth, tells Newsday he has been treated for mental illness since childhood but refused help in recent years.
Barth was paroled in July 2011 after serving three years for robbery.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
