A Monroe County man has been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found hanging from electrical heating wire tied to the ceiling of a freight trailer located in a scrap yard on Crowe Road, in Stroud Township.

The body of Kristen Wagner, 27, was found about 7:39 p.m. on June 2, 2011, at Christian Containers LLC, a business operated by Bidwell.James Bidwell, 49, of 1033 Arrowhead Lakes, Pocono Lake, Tobyhanna has been charged with criminal homicide.The original investigators determined the death was a suicide, although the circumstances were suspicious.As the result of new information received in 2014, the matter was placed before the Monroe County investigating grand jury.Last week the grand jury issued a detailed presentment recommending the arrest of Bidwell for the homicide of Wagner.The presentment was reviewed by Judge Margherita Patti Worthington supervising judge of the grand jury. Worthington referred the matter to the prosecutors.According to information contained in the presentment, Richard Gerber contacted authorities on June 5, 2014, and advised them that an associate of his, Bidwell, admitted to him that he killed Wagner in the "office trailer' of the Crowe Street yard.Gerber said Bidwell told him he choked her out and then hanging her body in a "reefer" or refrigerated trailer to make it appear as if she committed suicide.Other details from the presentment:• Bidwell was never sought for questioning by the original investigators despite owning the business where the victim's body was found.• Bidwell, an admitted methamphetamine and alcohol abuser, would stay awake for days at a time and craved sexual contact.• Bidwell was usually paranoid and prone to violent outbursts while under the influence of meth.• Bidwell and Wagner began a relationship in May 2010 which became sexual. Bidwell gave Wagner meth and percocet pills.• Wagner left the area and went to Bloomsburg to be with her family.Bidwell contacted the family saying he was concerned about her welfare. He then went to Bloomsburg and brought her back to the Poconos.• The victim was seen in the company of Bidwell by employees of the Crowe Road yard on June 2, between 6 and 9 a.m., and by the owners of the Cinder Inn bar located along Crowe Road that same day between noon and 3 p.m. The bar owner said Wagner was in good spirits and spoke about her children and showed a photograph of them.• While at the bar Wagner spoke to her father using Bidwell's cellphone.• Cellphone records showed that Bidwell stayed in the Crowe Street area on June 2 and about 5:20 p.m. called his estranged wife, Jennifer. During the call Bidwell was sobbing and difficult to understand but told his wife "she's hanging," "she killed herself," she "died." Mrs. Bidwell asked who he was referring to and he said "Kristen."• Bidwell was aware that Wagner was deceased at 5:20 p.m. June 2, but the body was not discovered until 7:39 p.m.• Bidwell claimed in conversations with employees that he was in Philadelphia when notified of the death of Wagner, despite cellphone records showing he never left the area.• Based on interviews with employees of Bidwell, it would be highly unusual for Bidwell to allow Wagner to be alone in the yard for concerns she would steal from him.The interviews also revealed that Bidwell bragged in the past that he had kept Wagner around solely for sex.• Wagner's family maintained that she would not have committed suicide and in days before June 2 she was happy and attending events with her children.• Bidwell has a history of domestic violence that includes threats of death and physical assaults on his ex-wife and Wagner.• Bidwell was observed attacking Wagner by the throat in the past as well as threatening to kill her.• In the fall of 2010 Wagner reported to Pocono Mountain Regional police that Bidwell was trafficking in large quantities of methamphetamine and acting in part upon that information, Bidwell was subject to a traffic stop in which a quantity of meth was located. Bidwell suspected Wagner of telling authorities of his meth trafficking.• Bidwell made multiple false and contradictory statements, including that he was in Philadelphia at the time of the death; that he returned to the trailer and saw Wagner's body hanging and alerted authorities.He told two others that he could see the victim's body hanging; claimed that the victim left a suicide note; and implied the father's earlier telephone conversation with the Wagner was her motive for suicide.The presentation also concludes that Bidwell was present at the death of Wagner.Bidwell was scheduled to be arraigned today at 11:30 a.m. before District Judge Dan Higgins in Stroud Township.The prosecution is being handled by county First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso along with ADA Kimberly Metzger, Detectives Richard Luthcke and Wendy Serfass of the district attorney's office, and Detective Steven Hettel of the Stroud Area Regional Police.Bidwell is currently housed at the Monroe County Correctional Facility on convictions for drug offenses and prostitution.