Man, 72, caught dragging suffocated wife to his car in Granbury, police say

A 72-year-old Arlington man faces a murder charge after he admitted to suffocating his wife Thursday morning at a home in Granbury, said Sgt. Chris Brichetto, a police spokesman.

Officers were called to a home in the Abe’s Landing neighborhood about 11 a.m., where a 911 caller had reported seeing a man dragging a woman’s body and trying to load it into a car.

When officers arrived, Joseph Scala told them he had suffocated his wife, Brichetto said.

Betty Scala, 72, was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:56 a.m., Brichetto said.

Joseph Scala told police that the couple lived in Arlington but that Betty Scala was staying with a friend at the Granbury home. Scala did not say why he suffocated his wife or what led to the incident, Brichetto said.

He was taken to the Hood County Jail, where he remained in custody Thursday night.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 7:48 PM with the headline "Man, 72, caught dragging suffocated wife to his car in Granbury, police say."