UPDATE: Union County Man Who Murdered Wife, Dumped Body In Suitcase Sentenced To Life In Prison

A New Jersey man convicted of bludgeoning and stabbing his wife to death before stuffing her body in a suitcase has been sentenced to life in a state prison.

Reco Parks, 51, of Elizabeth, was convicted of murdering his wife in the Oakwood Plaza apartment the two shared. Investigators stated that Parks stuffed the body of 45-year-old Thya Wilson into a suitcase that sat in the bedroom for two days before the body was found abandoned in a second-floor hallway in the apartment building, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park stated.

>> Related: Union County Man Convicted of Bludgeoning, Stabbing Wife to Death

On Jan. 6, 2012, Police rushed to the Oakwood Plaza housing complex on Parker Road in Elizabeth on a report of a body found in a second-floor hallway of one of the complex’s buildings, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Albert Cernadas Jr. and Meghan Tomlinson, who prosecuted the case.

A joint investigation by the Union County Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department determined that Parks had stabbed and struck his wife dozens of times following an argument, causing her fatal injuries.

After stuffing her body in a suitcase, Parks then dumped his wife’s body outside of his own apartment in an effort to make it appear that she had been attacked and killed by someone else as she was coming home.

DNA evidence obtained from the suitcase and bedroom was instrumental in proving what had really happened, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Albert Cernadas said.

Parks was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, Feb. 20 by state Superior Court Judge Robert J. Mega. A Union County jury last month deliberated over the course of two days following a three-week trial before returning a guilty verdict against Parks in connection with the death of Wilson.

For breaking news alerts and more from Patch, sign up for the daily newsletter by clicking on the links below.

Westfield* Clark-Garwood* Cranford* New Providence-Berkeley Heights * Scotch Plains-Fanwood* Springfield* Summit* Chatham* West Orange

More on Patch:

• Convicted: Union County Cop With HIV Had Sex With Two Women Without Revealing Status
• Cops Stop Teens for Shoveling Snow, Stirring A Heap Of Controversy
• POLL: Where’s the Best Place to Go Sledding In Union County?
• Prosecutor: Union County Men Sexually Assaulted Mentally Disabled Woman, Forced Her Out In Snowstorm