An accused killer in the Lehigh Valley, who investigators say wrapped a cord around his estranged wife's neck and taped a sock in her mouth, told investigators he killed the young mother during a fight.
The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said Gordon Rohrbaugh, who lives in Berks County, killed Jillian Rohrbaugh Wednesday morning inside the S 5th Avenue apartment in Whitehall, Pennsylvania that she shared with her mother.
Jillian's mother called police when she arrived home around 11:20 a.m. to find to her daughter bound and dead -- the door, which she had locked hours earlier, was unlocked.
Originally investigators called the death "suspicious." On Thursday, Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim ruled that Jillian died as a result of asphyxiation.
On Thursday, Whitehall Township Police interviewed Rohrbaugh who told them he killed his wife -- they married in July and were recently separated -- in the heat of an argument.
Rohrbaugh was taken to county jail to be processed on a homicide charge.
Jillian's family started a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of her funeral.
"Jill was not only a loving friend and family member, but a loving mother to her daughter, Nora," read a post on the GoFundMe page by Jillian's sister-in-law Stacey Faustner. "Any expenses raised in excess of the funds to cover funeral expenses will be put into a college fund for Nora."
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Get help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-Safe (7233).
