A man from the Kansas City area in Missouri has admitted to taking the life of his wife while she was in the hospital, citing her medical expenses and his inability to care for her as his motives. This has been confirmed through police reports and court records.
Seventy-six-year-old Ronnie Wiggs was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge on Monday, May 6, 2024 after allegedly causing the death of his wife, Ellen Wiggs, 72. Ellen was a patient at the Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri.
The unfortunate event occurred on Friday, May 3 when Ellen was at the hospital awaiting a new dialysis port. Around 7:30 p.m., she was seen conscious and aware in her hospital room. However, at approximately 11:30 p.m., she became unresponsive, leading the medical staff to declare a “code blue.” Although her pulse was momentarily revived, she was declared brain dead shortly thereafter, and preparations for organ harvesting were made.
According to police reports, Wiggs confessed to the killing after his wife’s son brought him back to the hospital. “I did it, I killed her, I choked her,” Wiggs was quoted saying in court documents. Suspicious injuries were noticed on her neck and a fresh wound in the center of her throat, which led to further investigations by the authorities.
Wiggs reportedly told investigators that he covered his wife’s nose and mouth to prevent her from screaming. He admitted to feeling depressed and being overwhelmed by the weight of caregiving and financial burdens. Court documents reveal that he confessed to two previous attempts to end his wife’s life: once at a rehabilitation facility, where she woke up and asked him not to try it again, and another time at the hospital, where he was unable to carry out his plan due to the multiple monitors she was connected to.
After the incident, Wiggs left the hospital but came back with his stepson after being informed of his wife’s condition; he then admitted that he killed her.