Mo. man accused of fatally strangling wife in hospital bed because he couldn't afford medical bills

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (TCD) -- A man allegedly strangled his wife in a hospital bed last week after he had already tried to kill her multiple times due to medical expenses.

According to a probable cause statement posted by the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, on the evening of Friday, May 3, an off-duty officer at a hospital responded to the ICU to a report of a possible assault. The officer learned a witness found the victim unresponsive and without a pulse, so they initiated a "Code Blue," which refers to someone going into cardiac arrest. The victim reportedly regained consciousness and was transferred to another floor.

Another witness reportedly observed "suspicious injuries" on the victim, including red marks on her neck and a fresh wound in the middle of her throat. According to the probable cause statement, the witness said the injuries were most likely not caused by resuscitation efforts.

The victim's son reportedly said his mother was initially admitted to Centerpoint Medical Center for a new port for her dialysis. Hospital staff allegedly tried to contact the victim's husband, Ronnie Wiggs, after finding the victim unconscious, but he said he was having car issues. When the son learned his mother was unresponsive and had no brain activity, he reportedly picked up Wiggs and brought him to the hospital.

According to the probable cause statement, Wiggs told the son and a nurse that he allegedly choked his wife. Wiggs was reportedly heard saying, "I did it, I killed her, I choked her."

The off-duty officer arrested Wiggs on an investigative hold for first-degree domestic assault. The victim was still alive at the time, but she didn't have any brain activity, and medical staff were going to "discontinue any lifesaving measures."

During an interview with Independence Police, Wiggs reportedly confessed that he choked his wife and covered her mouth and nose "to keep her from screaming." Afterward, he allegedly left the hospital before the victim's son brought him back.

According to the probable cause statement, Wiggs said he tried to kill his wife two other times while she was in the hospital. He once allegedly tried to kill her in a rehabilitation facility, but the victim woke up and told him "not to do that again." Wiggs told police he also planned to kill her another time, but he couldn't because she was "hooked up to several monitors at the hospital."

According to the probable cause statement, Wiggs said he was "depressed," and he killed his wife "because he could not take care of her anymore, and he could not pay the medical bills that had been acquired."

Wiggs' wife was pronounced deceased on the morning of Saturday, May 4.

Wiggs faces a charge of second-degree murder and remains held on $250,000 bond.

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• Independence man charged in strangling of wife at area hospital - Jackson County Prosecutor's Office