The BBC reported that Muzzammil Hassan, 44, is accused of the second degree murder of Aasiya Hassan, whose body was found last week at the TV station in New York state.

Both Muzzammil Hassan and his wife worked at Bridges TV, a station aimed at countering negative stereotypes of Muslims.

Authorities said Aasiya Hassan, 37, had recently filed for divorce. The couple had two children, aged four and six.

Bridges TV, a satellite-distributed news and opinion channel, was founded by Muzzammil Hassan in 2004 and was based in a suburb in Buffalo, in upstate New York. His wife had filed for divorce after previous incidents of domestic violence, her lawyer told the Buffalo News.

In a statement on its website, Bridges TV said it was “deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya (Zubair) Hassan and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan.”

A family court hearing was due to address the future of the couple’s two children. The BBC reported their grandparents have traveled from Texas and Pakistan to attend the hearing, John Tregilio, a lawyer for the children, told the Buffalo News.

Muzzammil Hassan also has two other children, aged 17 and 18, from a previous marriage, according to reports.

Fox News reported that Orchard Park (near Buffalo) Police Chief Andrew Benz said Hassan has not confessed to the crime, despite some media reports to the contrary.

“He came in and said his wife was dead,” said Benz, who declined to elaborate on the particulars of his conversation with the suspect.

Fox News reported that But Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III left no doubt that he believes Muzzammil Hassan killed his wife. Hassan will appear for a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Orchard Park. If convicted of second-degree murder, he faces up to life in prison.

“He’s a pretty vicious and remorseless bastard,” Sedita told FOXNews.com Tuesday. “Whether he was motivated by some kind of interpretation of his religious or cultural views, we don’t know. We’ll look into everything in the case.”

Asked if the murder is being probed as an honor killing, Fox News reported Benz replied, “We’ve been told that there’s no place for that kind of action in their faith, but I wouldn’t say that there’s anything that’s being completely ruled out at this point.”

Fox News said psychologists and some American Muslims said the slaying has all the markings of an honor killing.

“The fierce and gruesome nature of this murder signals it’s an honor killing,” said Dr. Phyllis Chesler, an author and professor of psychology at the Richmond College of the City University of New York. “What she did was worthy of capital punishment in his eyes.”