A Missouri man has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of his ailing wife, which happened while she was in a hospital.
Ronnie Wiggs, 76, faces a charge of second-degree murder, according to KHSB-TV in Kansas City.
His wife died Saturday at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, where she was receiving a new dialysis port, according to USA Today.
According to a police probable cause affidavit, medical staff heard Wiggs say, “I did it. I killed her. I choked her.”
Mo. Man Accused of Choking Wife to Death in Hospital Bed, Then Saying, ‘I Did It’ https://t.co/jgnCiP8UOK
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The affidavit said officers were told by the suspect that he killed his wife — who was not named — “because he could not take care of her anymore and he could not pay the medical bills that had been acquired.”
It said she had been fine at 7:30 p.m. Friday but was reported unresponsive one hour later.
The affidavit said witnesses noticed suspicious bruising on her neck.
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Medical staff responded to revive the victim, but she had no brain function and died Saturday.
Wiggs, who had been at the hospital earlier Friday evening, was not there when his wife was found unresponsive.
He was brought to the hospital and was interviewed by police.
The affidavit said the suspect “described placing both of his hands around the victim’s neck with his fingers around the sides of her neck and his thumbs on her throat.”
“The defendant advised he had attempted to kill the victim two other times while the victim was hospitalized. The defendant advised he last attempted to kill the victim while the victim was at a rehabilitation facility for her medical issues,” it said.
“He advised at that time he tried to choke her but could not follow through with it. The defendant advised the victim woke up and told him not to do that again,” the affidavit said.
“The defendant advised he was going to try to kill the victim another time, but he did not get the opportunity due to the fact the victim was hooked up to several monitors at the hospital,” it said.
Wiggs appeared in court Monday. His case was referred to the public defender’s office.
He was being held on a $250,000 bond, according to CBS News.
