Joseph Jones charged with murder in wife’s 2010 death, cops say

A Centereach man was arrested Friday in the 2010 homicide of his newlywed wife, whose body was found in woods several days after he had reported her missing, Suffolk homicide detectives said Friday night.

Joseph Jones, 33, was tracked down in Centereach and is expected to be arraigned in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on Monday in the death of Nicole Tessa, 31, found Dec. 21, 2010, near their North Patchogue home, said Det. Sgt. Charles Leser. Jones was charged with second-degree murder.

He had been a suspect early on in Tessa’s death, and over the years, as investigators worked on the case, Jones lived a “regular” life, Leser said.

“It’s been five years since the murder,” Leser said. “He wasn’t hiding.”

He said more details about the case will come out at arraignment. Police said he had been indicted and a warrant issued for his arrest.

“Things developed and things changed,” he said. “The case kept getting worked on.”

Jones’ attorney George Duncan of Central Islip could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Jones’ father said he does not believe his son killed Tessa.

“Joseph is not a violent person,” said Stephen Jones from his Florida home. “He avoided conflict. He would run from a fight first.”

But Tessa’s mother said she looks forward to the arraignment.

”I’m happy it came down to this,” said Kathi Cotty of Nesconset. “It’s been a long time.”

She said she suspected Jones for years: “The last time I ever heard from him was the day that she never came home. He called me and said ‘she never came home’ and I never heard from him again.”

Tessa had four children, including Jones’ son, age 3 at the time of her death.

As police searched for his missing wife in December 2010, Jones told reporters that he and his wife had argued Dec. 17, and he left the house about 11:30 p.m. His wife of four months was gone when he came back about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, he told reporters.

After her body was found, he had said the place was an area where he liked to smoke.

At one point, Jones complained about pace with which authorities were releasing details.

“They are not giving me any information,” he said as police scoured the area for more clues and evidence. “It’s frustrating. I still want her to come walking through the door.”

Jones said he met Tessa four years before her death when she worked at a Patchogue bar. He said he met her through her twin and fell in love because “she wasn’t afraid to have kids and settle down.”