A Connecticut woman, Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of her husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, a professor at UConn Health. The 76-year-old woman was accused of killing her husband, hiding his body for months, and collecting his paychecks.
Dr. Bigazzi’s body was found in the couple’s home in Burlington, Connecticut, in February 2018, after police conducted a wellness check when his employer reported not hearing from him for several months.
Wife Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter (Credits: WTNH.com)
The medical examiner determined that Dr. Bigazzi died of blunt trauma to the head and believed that he died sometime in July 2017.
Investigators discovered that UConn Health paychecks were deposited into the couple’s joint checking account from the time of his death until February 2018.
Prosecutors initially pursued a murder case against Kosuda-Bigazzi, alleging that she left her husband’s body wrapped in plastic in their home while continuing to collect his salary. Kosuda-Bigazzi claimed self-defense in the killing.
Wife Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter (Credits: NBC Connecticut)
In addition to the murder case, police also investigated suspicions of forged signatures on back alimony checks belonging to Dr. Bigazzi’s ex-wife, Anna Bigazzi.
Neighbors described Kosuda-Bigazzi as confrontational, with some alleging she showed anger toward neighborhood children, leading to police involvement.
Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese Walcott announced Monday that Kosuda-Bigazzi pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree larceny, bringing a resolution to the six-year-old case.
“This case has been pending for six years, so we are thankful we were able to reach a resolution today,” Walcott said in a statement.
