Woman killed inside UMass Amherst hotel, husband held without bail

A man accused of beating his wife, a University of Massachusetts Amherst staffer, inside a campus hotel, is being held without bail after police said he confessed to the brutal killing. According to a statement submitted to Eastern Hampshire District Court, police were sent to room 413 of Hotel UMass at approximately 7:42 p.m. on Wednesday in response to a 911 call. “Upon the arrival of police officers, a violent struggle took place,” the report states. Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, of Wilbraham, threw objects at officers and struck one UMass police officer in the face “on more than one occasion,” police wrote. Once they got into the hotel room, they found “a deceased female with significant injuries.”According to the report, MacDonald later agreed to speak with investigators and admitted that he had intentionally beaten his wife to death using his hands, feet and other objects. MacDonald pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday to one count of murder and another count of assault and battery upon a police officer. He was held without bail pending another hearing on May 12. The woman’s official cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In a letter to the campus community, UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes said there is no ongoing threat to the community. “I recognize that the lack of complete information may add to the distress many are feeling, but this is necessary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation,” he said. The incident remains under investigation.

AMHERST, Mass. —

A man accused of beating his wife, a University of Massachusetts Amherst staffer, inside a campus hotel, is being held without bail after police said he confessed to the brutal killing.

According to a statement submitted to Eastern Hampshire District Court, police were sent to room 413 of Hotel UMass at approximately 7:42 p.m. on Wednesday in response to a 911 call.

“Upon the arrival of police officers, a violent struggle took place,” the report states.

Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, of Wilbraham, threw objects at officers and struck one UMass police officer in the face “on more than one occasion,” police wrote. Once they got into the hotel room, they found “a deceased female with significant injuries.”

According to the report, MacDonald later agreed to speak with investigators and admitted that he had intentionally beaten his wife to death using his hands, feet and other objects.

MacDonald pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday to one count of murder and another count of assault and battery upon a police officer. He was held without bail pending another hearing on May 12.

The woman’s official cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In a letter to the campus community, UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes said there is no ongoing threat to the community.

“I recognize that the lack of complete information may add to the distress many are feeling, but this is necessary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation.