Police: Man killed girlfriend in hotel room, then called 911

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Authorities say a New York man killed his Canadian girlfriend by beating her with a brick and strangling her in a hotel room, then called police to report the slaying.

Police in Syracuse say 38-year-old David Schmidinger called 911 around 11 a.m. Thursday from a street in the city, told a dispatcher he had killed his girlfriend and was waiting for police.

Police Chief Frank Fowler says when officers arrived, Schmidinger directed them to the nearby Hampton Inn, where police found the body of 44-year-old Michelle Paterson, of Brampton, Ontario. Police say she was visiting Schmidinger and had arrived in Syracuse Tuesday.

Police say Schmidinger, from nearby Baldwinsville, had a long off-and-on-again relationship with Paterson.

Schmidinger pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder Friday. A judge granted his lawyer’s request for psychiatric evaluations for Schmidinger.

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This story has been corrected to show the suspect’s age is 38 instead of 37.