An arraignment date has been set for an Independence man charged with murder for strangling his wife in May.
Ronnie J. Wiggs, 76, allegedly strangled his wife on May 3 while she was at Centerpoint Medical Center, 19600 E. 39th St. S in Independence. The woman had come to Centerpoint to get a new port for her dialysis.
The victim was last seen alive on May 3 around 7:30 p.m. An hour later, hospital staff called a Code Blue for the woman, who suffered injuries to her neck and throat.
Wiggs was arrested around 11:30 a.m. after an off-duty Independence police officer responded to the ICU.
Medical personnel heard Wiggs say, “I did it, I killed her, I strangled her,” according to court documents. Wiggs admitted to Independence police later that night that he strangled her while covering her nose and mouth.
Wiggs was initially arrested for first-degree domestic violence, The Star reported, because his wife was alive but brain dead after the attack. Medical staff later stopped life support due to her lack of brain activity.
Wiggs was charged with second-degree murder the next day, May 4. If Wiggs were convicted, he could serve between 10 years and life in prison, or 30 years.
Wiggs told police he could not afford to care for his wife or pay her medical bills, court records show. He had tried to kill her twice before, The Star reported, including while she was experiencing medical problems at a rehabilitation center.
Wiggs is being held on a $250,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for June 27 at 1:30 p.m
The killing was the eighth reported in Independence this year, according to data collected by The Star.
According to Star data, three murders had been reported in the city as of May 3 last year.
This article uses previous reporting by Andrea Klick.
