Man accused of killing his wife takes stand in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri man accused of killing his wife and burying her body in a park has taken the stand to testify in his first-degree murder trial.

Joseph Elledge is accused of killing his wife, 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, whom he reported missing in October 2019. Her remains were found in March in a park near Columbia, Missouri.

Elledge took the stand Tuesday after the prosecution rested its case on Monday. The prosecution case presented in the last week focused largely on audio tapes, text messages and a journal Elledge kept that detailed the couple’s deteriorating relationship.

Ji moved to Missouri from China to study at the University of Missouri and stayed after marrying Elledge in 2017.