ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. (AP) — Prosecutors say a 100-year-old man apparently killed his wife with an ax as she slept in their home, then killed himself in the bathroom with a knife.
But it’s still not clear what sparked the murder-suicide late Sunday in Elmwood Park.
Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli says there was a “history of domestic issues” between Michael Juskin and his 88-year-old wife, Rosalia. But he said a motive for the attack remains under investigation.
Police officers found the couple in their Spruce Street home after relative – who was not in the home – called authorities. The deaths were made public Monday.
Authorities do not believe anyone else was in the home when the attack occurred.
Neighbors told The Record newspaper that they often saw the couple out and about – Michael Juskin walking a dog and his wife tending to her garden – but said they kept to themselves.
Barbara Szczecina, 65, who lives down the block, said she saw Rosalia sitting on her front porch around 10 a.m. Saturday.
“She used to be in her garden all the time,” Szczecina said. “They were always together, putzing around outside.”
Family members who were at the home on Monday declined to comment on the deaths.