By: Richard L. Smith
Burlington County law enforcement officials charged a Medford Township man with killing his wife in their Regent Court home last week.
According to Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw, Mr. Babu Natarajan, 40, was charged with Murder (First Degree).
He was taken into custody yesterday at his residence and lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.
The case will be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Prosecutor Bradshaw said the investigation began on the afternoon of March 21, when officers from the Medford Township Police Department were called to the residence for a report of an unconscious and unresponsive female adult.
Upon arrival, they found the body of Ms. Angammal Babu, 41, on the bed in the upstairs master bedroom.
The 911 call was placed by the defendant, who indicated to responding officers that his wife had taken a nap because she was tired.
Prosecutor Bradshaw said an autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded that the manner of death was a homicide, and the cause of death was due to compression of the victim’s neck.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Medford Township Police Department. The lead investigators are BCPO Detective Al-Jerome Burnett-Crawford, BCPO Detective Melyssa Alonso, MTPD Detective Sergeant Jeff Samalonis, and MTPD Detective Mark Hunsinger.
Natarajan will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO, the Major Crimes Unit.
All persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.