NY man charged in ex-wife’s 1991 death

A New York man has been charged with killing his pregnant estranged wife — 18 years after her body and her dead fetus were found behind a Syracuse restaurant.

The Onondaga County District Attorney’s office says 44-year-old John Rogers is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Michelle Thomas, who was seven months pregnant when she was strangled in 1991. Rogers wasn’t charged in the baby’s death because it’s unknown whether it was born alive.

A cold case team took on the case last year and got information from new witnesses. Prosecutors say DNA testing showed Rogers wasn’t the baby’s father, giving him a motive.

Rogers pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Onondaga County Court. His attorney says Rogers was not involved in Thomas’ death.