KEY POINTS

  • The suspect told his wife's family that she left during an argument and disappeared
  • The victim was shot twice in the head and her body was sawed into pieces
  • The suspect's friend called the police after he admitted to the crime

A New Hampshire man admits to killing his 22-year-old wife during an anniversary trip to Vermont.

Joseph Ferlazzo, 41, arrested in connection to the death of his wife, Emily Ferlazzo, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder Wednesday. Joseph told officers that he shot and killed his wife inside the couple’s camper bus last weekend.

Emily was reported missing by her family on Monday and was last seen with her husband on a trip to Vermont.

Court documents released Wednesday paint a chilling picture of the incident. The couple drove from New Hampshire to Bolton on Oct. 15 to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Later that evening, the couple argued and Emily allegedly punched and kicked her husband, according to the affidavit.

Joseph told investigators that he waited for Emily to fall asleep. He then grabbed a handgun, jumped on top of her wife and shot her twice in the head, WFFF reported.

Later that morning, Joseph went to Waterbury to have breakfast with his sister and her sister's boyfriend. Joseph told investigators that he had parked the camper bus with the victim’s body still inside at a friend's property in the St. Albans area.

According to court documents, Joseph reportedly dismembered the body using a hand saw approximately 12 to 15 hours after the shooting. He then placed the remains in plastic bags and left them inside the vehicle.

Joseph traveled back to Emily's parent's New Hampshire home Monday. He told them that Emily left the vehicle during an argument and he had not seen her since. The family then filed a missing person report.

In the early hours on Tuesday, police received a 911 call from Joseph’s friend. The friend said that Joseph admitted to killing his wife.

Police bought Joseph in for questioning and inspected the camper in St. Albans. There they found garbage bags with human remains and a hand saw behind the driver's seat.

Joseph is presently being held without bond.

Emily's mother told investigators that her daughter had survived several instances of domestic violence in the marriage and she had seen bruises and scratches on the victim previously, NBC Boston reported. She told police that she knew of three or four instances when a “physical altercation” had occurred between the couple.

Crime scene police line | Representational Image
Crime scene police line | Representational Image GETTY IMAGES / SCOTT OLSON
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