Overview
- Campus police found a UMass Amherst staff member dead in a Hotel UMass room after a Wednesday night emergency call, then took a suspect into custody.
- Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, of Wilbraham, was arraigned Thursday in Eastern Hampshire District Court, pleaded not guilty to murder and assaulting an officer, and was ordered held without bail with a May 12 court date.
- A police report filed in court says MacDonald admitted he intentionally killed his wife, Emma MacDonald, using his hands, feet, and other objects.
- UMass police, state police detectives, and crime‑scene services are conducting an active investigation, and the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death.
- Prosecutors say the victim and suspect knew each other and were UMass employees, not students, and the university has offered counseling while stating there is no continuing campus threat.