Officials say wife died from ingesting antifreeze before husband’s slaying sentencing
A Connecticut woman who was discovered deceased hours prior to her scheduled sentencing for the murder of her spouse perished by suicide after consuming antifreeze, officials revealed on Monday.
Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 76, was found deceased at her residence on July 24. Troopers arrived at the dwelling that morning after an individual reported their presence at her abode but failed to establish communication with her, state police stated at the time.
Her demise was a result of ethylene glycol toxicity, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Kosuda-Bigazzi had admitted guilt to first-degree manslaughter in March in the 2017 passing of her husband, 84-year-old Pierluigi Bigazzi, in accordance with the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Authorities discovered the University of Connecticut Health physician and educator deceased in the cellar of the couple’s Burlington residence while responding to a welfare check call from his employer, who had not made contact with him for several months, prosecutors indicated.
Kosuda-Bigazzi also accepted responsibility for first-degree larceny for continuing to collect her husband’s wages after his death, as per the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Investigators detected deposits of checks from her husband’s employer into the couple’s joint bank account from his passing in July 2017 until the unearthing of his remains in February 2018, prosecutors stated.
She was supposed to receive a 13-year prison term as part of the plea agreement, according to The Associated Press. Her sentencing was set for 2 p.m. on the day she was discovered deceased.
“We were privileged to serve as her legal representation and made every effort to advocate for her in a challenging case over the past six years,” her lawyer, Patrick Tomasiewicz, stated in a release last month following her passing. “She was an extremely self-reliant woman who always controlled her own fate.”
ABC News has contacted the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice for input on the matter.
MORE: Woman found dead hours before she was to be sentenced for killing her husband
Kosuda-Bigazzi had been released from custody while awaiting sentencing after providing over $1.5 million in bail.
Her husband’s demise was determined to be a homicide due to blunt head injuries, as per the examiner’s office.
Authorities located handwritten papers at the residence in which she purportedly confessed to killing her spouse in self-defense, as per court records.
If you are grappling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about a companion or family member, dial or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for complimentary, confidential emotional assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.