Cops: Man Strangled Wife, Wheeled Her Down Street

Neighbors describe Anthony Lopez as a mentally disturbed crack addict, which would go some way toward explaining his alleged crime. Police say the 31-year-old strangled his wife to death and pushed her body on a metal dolly down a street in Staten Island Friday morning, reports the New York Daily News. He allegedly dumped the body of Obiamaka Aduba, 26, on the front lawn of a home and took off after an off-duty cop spotted the corpse, which had been partially covered by a sheet, the Staten Island Advance reports. Lopez was arrested in East Harlem on Saturday after officers acting on a tip chased him down.

Authorities say Lopez has 52 arrests and a long history of domestic violence involving Aduba, reports the New York Daily News. "It was due to drugs. He's been crazy, he's mentally disturbed," a neighbor tells PIX11. In a court appearance Sunday, Lopez pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and begged for methadone to help him with drug withdrawal. He's being held without bail and will appear in court again on Tuesday. In Sunday's court appearance, Lopez was also charged with criminal mischief for throwing a brick at a car windshield earlier this month. (More New York City stories.)