A Berks County man was charged Thursday with one count of criminal homicide in the death of his estranged wife, who lived in Whitehall Township.

Gordon H. Rohrbaugh, 24, who had lived in Blandon and Fleetwood, was charged in the Wednesday death of Jillian H. Rohrbaugh, 26.He was to be processed in Lehigh County Central Booking. The investigation was conducted by Whitehall Township police, the Lehigh County DistrictAttorney's Homicide Task Force and state police.According to an affidavit of probable cause, Whitehall Township police responded to 3312 S. Fifth Ave., apartment 164, at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a suspicious death. The victim and her mother lived at the apartment.The victim, who was found in the apartment, had an electrical wire wrapped around her neck, and her mouth had been taped. A sock had been inserted in her mouth.Police interviewed the victim's mother who said that she had left the apartment at 7:50 a.m. and had locked the door. The victim was alive at that time. When the mother later returned to the apartment, the door was unlocked.Deputy Coroner David Krause pronounced the victim dead at the scene. An autopsy was performed Thursday. The death was ruled a homicide, and the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.Detectives conducted interviews with neighbors and family members. The defendant was interviewed at Whitehall Township police headquarters and stated that he caused the victim's death during an argument.Police learned that the victim and defendant had been married since July 2015, but were currently separated.Jillian Rohrbaugh was sentenced to up to 23 months in prison last year for arson and endangering the welfare of a child.She was convicted of setting a house on fire in Lehigh Township after her ex-boyfriend told her to pick up her belongings or he would burn them.It's not clear if Gordon Rohrbaugh was the boyfriend.It's not known if he has a lawyer.The Associated Press contributed to this report.