Authorities in Pennsylvania say a man has been arraigned and jailed on suspicion of killing his wife decades ago.
According to Fox News, 76-year-old William Korzon is expected to face charges including criminal homicide, solicitation to commit criminal homicide, perjury, and forgery.
In addition to allegedly killing his wife, Gloria Korzon, who disappeared in 1981, police say he hatched a plan to kill the Philadelphia cop leading the initial investigation.
Following the court hearing in Jamison this week at which time he denied killing his wife, he briefly spoke to reporters as he headed to jail. He said his wife “went to Florida” at the time of her disappearance, denying any knowledge of her whereabouts.
The suspect is accused of continuous domestic abuse after he married the victim in 1967. About a year after they wed, he reportedly threatened to kill Gloria Korzon and was subsequently committed to a facility for psychological testing.
Police records allege that during the violent attacks, “Gloria suffered multiple injuries, including a broken arm, a broken collarbone, damage to her nasal bone and a black eye.”
She was hospitalized on multiple occasions as a result, investigators believe.
More than two decades after she was declared dead without a body, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said evidence presented to a grand jury “added to the body of knowledge” prosecutors already had.
He said evidence shows the victim showed up for work on the day of her disappearance and was not seen again. William Korzon allegedly contacted her employer a short time later to ensure she would be fired and he would receive her final paycheck.
Weintraub said the case is “obviously going to be a circumstantial” one without a “smoking gun” to ensure a conviction. Nevertheless, the progress is seen as a positive step for county officials and the victim’s family.
“It’s been a long time waiting to have justice,” said Ralph Kidder,Gloria Korzon’s brother.
Calling the recent charges “a step in the right direction,” Kidder said that “until we absolutely know, it’s still not over.”
A tenant at William Korzon’s property reported that the suspected killer approached him with a proposal to murder a police sergeant investigating Gloria Korzon’s disappearance.
[Featured image: William Korzon, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office]
