(Daily360.com) A man has been charged with second degree murder after admitting he killed his wife in the hospital because he couldn’t afford the medical bills. The wife was awake and alert during a 7:30 checkup by staff on Friday, but she was found unconscious an hour later. The staff took emergency actions and took her to the intensive care unit. In the ICU, she was discovered to have no pulse or brain activity.
The staff saw redness and a wound on her neck. They contacted Ronnie Wiggs, her husband, to inform him of her serious injuries. Wiggs told a nurse and the woman’s son that he choked her to death. He also confessed to the police that he choked her and put his hands over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. After the man murdered his wife, he left the hospital.
Wiggs admitted to attempting to kill her on two previous occasions. He said he was unable to follow through and complete the murder. She woke up and asked him to never try that again. The second time he attempted to kill her, he refrained from doing so because she was hooked up to a lot of monitors.
Wiggs was initially detained on charges of first degree murder, but it was later announced that he would be facing second degree murder charges. He told the detectives that he was depressed and couldn’t pay for the many medical bills as his motive for the alleged murder. A domestic abuse expert said this type of thing has happened before, but it is still difficult for victims and family members to process.
The death occurred at a time when she was getting a new port for dialysis treatment. Wiggs made his first appearance in court on May 6 and will be given a public defender. He has a hearing on May 9 to determine if a $250,000 bond is suitable for his crime.
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