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Michael Alan Roseboro, 41, was arrested late Saturday and charged with criminal homicide for allegedly killing his wife, Jan Roseboro, July 22 at their home at 107 W. Main St., Reinholds, investigators said.
He and his wife were married 19 years and had four children, ages 6 to 17, according to newspaper records.
Roseboro, a director at his family's long-standing funeral home in Denver, was at Lancaster County Prison Sunday night, where he is being held without bail. He was arraigned before District Judge Jene Willwerth early Sunday.
If investigators have a motive for the killing, they weren't talking about it Sunday.
East Cocalico Township police and Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman refused to comment on the case until a press conference scheduled for this morning.
"By joint decision, and since the (charging documents) are not yet open to the public, we are not taking substantive questions until (today)," Stedman said Sunday.
Roseboro's arrest came 11 days after an autopsy showed his wife's death was not accidental. The autopsy showed Jan Roseboro was bludgeoned with a weapon, punched, kicked and strangled before she was placed in the backyard pool.
Her death was ruled a homicide, caused by multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the beating and freshwater drowning. County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said he could not determine if the woman would have died from the beating alone.The homicide is believed to be the first in Reinholds, a small town in the northern part of the county described by neighbors as "old-fashioned" and "uneventful."
Neighbors said Sunday they suspected Michael Roseboro from the start. Investigators immediately said he was the last person with Jan Roseboro before she died.
Upon initial contact with Michael Roseboro, documents state, police officers noticed fresh cuts on his face and hand, indicating his wife may have fought for her life.
One neighbor said Sunday it was a relief to finally have their speculation confirmed, and there wasn't "a random murderer on the loose."
"Even though it seemed pretty obvious, you still didn't know for sure," said Greg Townley, 28, who lives with his wife and young son just down the street from the Roseboros.
The accused killer was the one who called police July 22 and told dispatchers he found his wife's lifeless body in the pool.
Roseboro told police he was with his wife by the pool that night until he went to bed about 10 p.m., according to court documents. The couple's three youngest children were in bed; their eldest child — 17-year-old Samuel — was at a friend's house.
Michael Roseboro came back outside about 11 p.m. and found his wife at the bottom of the deep end of the pool, police were told.
(199) (193) (102) (19) (15) (13) (8) (4) (2)Police have said the killer may have beaten Jan Roseboro inside the home, before dumping her body in the pool. The killer also apparently made a deliberate effort to conceal the crime, according to investigators.
Cleaning agents and bloody pieces of fabric were found near the pool, according to court documents.
Investigators would not discuss Sunday an alleged affair Michael Roseboro was having prior to his wife's death.
Court documents have indicated he was involved in an extramarital relationship and had sex with a mistress hours before Jan Roseboro was killed.
Neighbors said Michael Roseboro had "a temper."
"If (he's) having an affair and she finds out, you would hope the next step would not be killing somebody," said Townley's wife, Jessica, also 28.
E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com
