INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A Kansas City man accused of killing his wife at the hospital told police he could not care for her or pay her medical bills, court records show.
Ronnie Wiggs made his initial appearance Monday on murder charges and was referred to the public defender’s office. A hearing was held Thursday to review his $250,000 bond.
A telephone message left with the public defender’s office was not immediately returned.
His wife was getting a new port for her dialysis when staff at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence called a “code blue” Friday because she was unresponsive.
Staff managed to regain her heartbeat, but they determined she was brain dead and prepared to harvest her organs, according to the probable cause statement. His wife died on Saturday.
After the attack, Wiggs left the hospital. But the affidavit said the woman’s son brought Wiggs back to see her, and he confessed. Staff heard him say, “I did it, I killed her, I strangled her,” the affidavit said.
He was then arrested and told a detective he covered his wife’s nose and mouth to keep her from screaming, the affidavit said. He said he was depressed and couldn’t handle the care and bills.
He said he also tried to kill his wife while she was in a rehabilitation center, but she woke up and told him not to do it again, the affidavit said. He said he was going to try to kill his wife again while she was in the hospital, but he didn’t get the chance because she was hooked up to different monitors.