Woodbridge strangler spent half hour trying to kill 2nd loved one, cops say

WOODBRIDGE — A man strangled a loved one and spent a half hour choking a second victim who successfully begged him to stop, according to court documents filed by investigators.

Rahul Anumala, 45, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, called police on Wednesday just before noon and said that he had choked someone to death inside his home. When officers arrived, a second person told officers that Anumala had tried to strangle them as well.

After his arrest, Anumala admitted to killing the first victim at 7:45 a.m., according to the complaint. Two hours later, he tried to strangle a child after he lay in bed with the second victim, according to the complaint.

Because the homicide was categorized as a domestic violence incident, the complaint did not identify either of the victims except to say he was "family" and an "intimate partner" to them. Authorities also have not publicly revealed the ages of the victim but did note that one of them was underage.

The survivor told police that Anumala — who was suicidal as well as homicidal — spent 30 minutes using his hands, a pillow and blanket as the victim pleaded with him and fought him off.

Anumala told police he decided he could not kill another person and called police — but not before taking a shower, investigators said.

Anumala was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder. He was being held Friday at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court. New Jersey 101.5 did not know Friday whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ