Prosecutors say a retired New York City transit police officer confessed to killing his wife in their Long Island home.
Paul Leitgeb pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Wednesday.
Authorities say Leitgeb killed his wife, Tricia Odierna, in the bedroom of their Lake Grove home on Oct. 1.
Suffolk County prosecutors say the 42-year-old died of blunt force trauma and neck compressions.
Leitgeb was arrested days later after state police found him hiding in a wooded area off the Appalachian Trial in the upstate town of Pawling.
They say Leitgeb threatened to kill himself during a standoff with police. They say he cut his neck and wrists with a box cutter.
Prosecutors say Leitgeb confessed to killing his wife.
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His attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.