A Missouri man is facing a second-degree murder charge for the tragic death of his wife in a hospital in Independence, Missouri. The incident occurred over the weekend, as confirmed by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
The suspect, identified as Ronnie Wiggs, admitted to police that he strangled his wife while she was lying in a hospital bed. The victim had been at the hospital for a new port for dialysis treatment.
The disturbing event unfolded on Friday, May 3, just before 11:30 p.m., when a uniformed officer on duty at the hospital responded to the ICU unit following reports of an assault. A 'Code Blue' was called on the victim, indicating a serious medical emergency, typically related to cardiac or respiratory arrest.
Medical staff overheard Wiggs confessing to the crime, stating, 'I did it, I killed her, I choked her.' Suspicious injuries were also noted on the victim, including redness on both sides of her neck and a fresh wound in the middle of her throat, inconsistent with resuscitation efforts.
Despite efforts to revive her, the victim was declared brain-dead, and hospital staff prepared to harvest her organs. Wiggs later confessed to police that he choked his wife and covered her nose and mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Wiggs cited depression and financial strain as reasons for his actions, claiming he couldn't afford his wife's medical bills. Shockingly, he admitted to attempting to kill his wife on two previous occasions while she was hospitalized, once at the rehabilitation facility where he tried to choke her but failed to follow through.
Authorities revealed that Wiggs had planned another attempt on his wife's life but was thwarted by the monitoring equipment in the hospital. Wiggs appeared in court on a second-degree murder charge and was assigned a public defender. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, with his bond set at $250,000.
