Award-winning chef arrested for murder after admitting he 'intentionally beat wife to death' in hotel

Published: 02:00, 24 April 2026 | Updated: 02:00, 24 April 2026 An award-winning chef was arrested for murder after allegedly admitting that he 'intentionally beat wife to death' at a hotel in Massachusetts. Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, was charged with the murder of his 31-year-old wife, Emma on Wednesday after police found her dead inside the Hotel UMass on the campus of University of Massachusetts Amherst. MacDonald worked as a chef at the school. He admitted that he had intentionally beaten his wife to death, using his hands, feet, as well as a variety of other objects, and that it was his intent to kill her in doing so,' police said in the report cited by the Boston Globe. MacDonald, who was once named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge as well as an assault and battery on a police officer offense. Officers with the UMass Amherst Police Department responded to the hotel just before 8pm after a 911 call reported an emergency, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. Officials noted that when first encountering MacDonald, a 'violent struggle' occurred. MacDonald allegedly threw several objects at the officers and struck one of the officials several times in the face. Jeffrey MacDonald, 36, was charged with the murder of his 31-year-old wife, Emma on Wednesday Police found the mother of MacDonald's two children dead inside the Hotel UMass on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus Police found Emma dead in room 413, appearing to have sustained severe injuries which they believed to have been caused by 'a violent assault,' the affidavit states. Officials have not released what led up to the death of the mother-of-two. MacDonald and his wife were both employees of UMass Amherst. The chef was arraigned on Thursday morning at Eastern Hampshire District Court before Judge Rebecca Michaels. MacDonald was held without bail, and his next hearing is scheduled for May 12. According to Law&Crime, he will also undergo a competency evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. The case remains under active investigation as the official cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. MacDonald, who was once named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge as well as an assault and battery on a police officer offense  MacDonald was held without bail, and his next hearing is scheduled for May 12 UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes said there is no ongoing threat to the campus to the company in a statement. 'I want to acknowledge that this is heartbreaking and deeply unsettling news for our campus. Our thoughts are with those affected, including the families, friends, and colleagues of the individuals involved,' Reyes wrote. 'I also recognize that the lack of complete information may add to the distress many are feeling, but this is necessary to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation. Please know that support resources are available for anyone who may need them during this time.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.