MONTROSE, Pa.—A suspended police officer has been ordered to stand trial in the 1983 death of his wife after an investigator said it appeared the scene had been staged to look like a suicide.

Montrose police Sgt. John Walker was ordered Wednesday to stand trial in the killing of his estranged wife, Lynda, 29 years ago in New Milford, Susquehanna County.

The Times-Tribune of Scranton ( http://bit.ly/UtKudC) reports John Walker told authorities he found his wife's body on the bed with a gun in her hand. The death was initially ruled a suicide.

But an investigator who reviewed the evidence says the gun was under a pillow and blood on a blanket was only visible after bedding was removed.

John Walker's attorney calls the case against his client "smoke and mirrors."