A Kansas City-area man confessed to killing his hospitalized wife because he couldn’t afford her medical bills nor take care of her, according to police and court records.
Ronnie Wiggs, 76, appeared in court on Monday, May 6, 2024, facing a second-degree murder charge after allegedly killing his wife, Ellen Wiggs, 72, who was hospitalized at the Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri. He was assigned a public defender, and his bond hearing is set for Thursday, May 9 to review his $250,000 bond.
The tragic incident unfolded on Friday, May 3, when Ellen was in the hospital to receive a new port for her dialysis. Around 7:30 p.m., she was seen “alert and oriented” in her hospital room, but at around 11:30 p.m., the medical staff declared a “code blue” as she became unresponsive. Although her pulse was briefly restored, she was declared brain dead shortly after, and plans were made to harvest her organs.
Police said Wiggs confessed to killing her after her son brought him back to the hospital. “I did it, I killed her, I choked her,” Wiggs was heard saying, according to court documents. A witness noticed suspicious injuries on her neck and a fresh wound in the middle of her throat, prompting further investigation by law enforcement.
Wiggs reportedly told detectives he covered his wife’s nose and mouth to keep her from screaming and admitted that he was depressed and couldn’t handle the caregiving and bills. According to court documents, he confessed to previously attempting to kill his wife twice: once at a rehabilitation facility, where she woke up and told him not to do it again, and another time at the hospital, where he couldn’t carry out his plan because she was connected to multiple monitors.
Wiggs left the hospital after the attack, but his wife’s son convinced him to return, leading to his confession. He is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker declined to comment directly on the case.
