AN AWARD winning chef has been charged with brutally killing his wife after her body was discovered in a hotel room.
Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, allegedly beat his wife Emma MacDonald, 31, to death inside their room at the UMass Campus Center hotel on Wednesday.
Jeffrey MacDonald has been charged with brutally killing his wife Credit: umass.edu
In court he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder Credit: YouTube/Boston 25 News
The hotel is located on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, where both Emma and Jeffrey worked.
After his arrest Jeffrey reportedly admitted he beat his wife to death with his hands, feet and “a variety of other objects”, according to police reports obtained by the Boston Globe.
The executive sous chef from Wilbraham, Massachusetts, said his intention was to kill his wife.
Cops rushed to the scene at around 7.40pm after reports of an emergency.
On arrival a “violent struggle” broke out between Jeffrey and police.
At one point, Jeffrey allegedly threw objects at the police and repeatedly struck one of the officers in the face.
After the crazed chef was detained, officers discovered Emma’s body inside the hotel room, according to the outlet.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The “significant nature” of Emma’s injuries were consistent with “a violent assault,” the police report said.
Jeffrey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery upon a police officer.
In court on Thursday he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and denied charges of assault and battery against a police officer.
Court records reportedly show Jeffrey was accused of physically and verbally assaulting his two children in 2024.
The mother of the children made the allegations in a family court filing, according to The Globe.
In a statement the University of Massachusetts Amherst said there was no ongoing threat to the campus.
Jeffrey’s arrest comes just one year after he was awarded “Chef of the Year” by the American Culinary Federation.
“Being honored as Chef of the Year by the ACF is an incredible milestone,” Jeffrey said at the time.
He was also a Northeast Regional winner of the National Association of College & University Food Services’s Culinary Challenge.
Jeffrey was held without bail ahead of his next court hearing on May 22.
Emma’s official cause of death will be determined by the chief medical examiner’s office.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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