The numbers didn’t add up for a Long Island insurance agent accused of murdering his wife, cops said yesterday.
Financially struggling Eric Rose, 45, of Hauppauge tried to make his wife Wendy’s death look like a suicide, but police said his scheme missed the mark because his aim was too good.
Instead of the usual one bullet per suicide, his wife was shot three times – including once in the back.
Cops say that at 3 a.m. on Oct. 2, Rose called them to their home claiming Wendy, 53, had gone berserk and blown her brains out with his licensed .38-caliber handgun. Rose said his wife was hallucinating before she shot herself.
“Initially, his story didn’t sound quite right,” said Detective Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick. “We were trying to nail down a shaky story without the physical evidence – that is, her body.”
She died in the hospital the next day as Rose hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with police. An autopsy revealed the second head wound – a graze wound – and the back wound were also caused by bullets.
A source said the couple fought over his financial problems. The victim had two adult children from a prior marriage.
“Our position is that it was a suicide,” said his lawyer, Barry Feldman, adding that Wendy “was being treated for depression.”
Rose was arraigned on the murder charge yesterday and ordered held without bail.