A MAN who secretly lived in a wardrobe at the home of his married lover for a month was charged yesterday with murdering her husband after his snoring gave him away.

In a case that Nashville police admit is one of the most unusual they have encountered, Rafael DeJesus Rocha-Perez was charged with criminal homicide in the beating to death of Jeffrey Freeman, the husband who discovered his wife’s lover asleep in a large closet.

Don Aaron, the Nashville police spokesman, said: “From time to time, you come across a case with very unique, even bizarre, circumstances. This one probably rates right up there with them.”

Police said that Martha Freeman, 40, allowed Mr Rocha-Perez to live in a wardrobe in their four-bedroom home for about a month without her husband’s knowledge. Mr Freeman discovered Mr Rocha-Perez late on Sunday when he came home and heard him snoring.

The authorities said that Mr Freeman ordered his wife to get Mr Rocha-Perez out of the house while he went for a walk.

Mrs Freeman told police that when her husband returned, Mr Rocha-Perez confronted him with a shotgun, forced him into a bathroom and beat him severely.

A post-mortem investigation was under way last night, but investigators said that Mr Freeman had sustained significant head injuries. His body was found on Monday after his wife asked a neighbour to call the emergency services.

Police arrested Mr Rocha- Perez a short time later after a witness told officers that she had seen a man run into a nearby home that was under construction. Mr Rocha-Perez was in jail last night with bail set at $500,000 (£264,000).

Mr Aaron said that the man had refused to answer investigators’ questions. Raegene Beverley, the neighbour who made the emergency call, described Mrs Freeman as a friend but declined to talk about the crime.

“What she confided to me at my home about the incident, I’ve chosen not to talk about it,” she said. “If a serial killer was on the loose, I would share as much as I know. But the police department seems to be handling things well.”

The Freemans were joint owners of ResiFax Inc, a company that carries out background checks for flat rental and job applicants. Tara Cantrell, the office manager, said: “It’s a very tragic event. We’re very upset. He was a wonderful man to work for.”

Mr Aaron said that Mrs Freeman was considered a witness to the murder.

“We still have questions that need answers,” he said. “We’re going to continue to work with Mrs Freeman to fill in all of the blanks.”

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