Jacksonville, NC: Autopsy confirms NC Marine's admission, wife was strangled with a belt last month

By Associated Press
10:35 AM EST, November 3, 2009
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — An autopsy report shows a former Camp Lejeune Marine's slain wife was strangled with a belt.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reported Tuesday the autopsy showed marks on 21-year-old Jessy Lauer-Richardson's neck were consistent with a belt found in the couple's Jacksonville apartment.

Her 22-year-old husband was charged with first-degree murder. Cody Richardson of Wolfeboro, N.H., told a 911 operator he strangled his wife with a belt. He also said he had written a suicide note but couldn't kill himself.

The autopsy report found no alcohol or drugs in the 21-year-old Lauer-Richardson's body.

The Iraq war veteran was kicked out of the Marine Corps days after his arrest last month. Richardson remains in the Onslow County Jail under a $1 million bond.