Wife accused of killing UConn professor and hiding his body pleads guilty to manslaughter

A Connecticut woman who was accused of killing her husband, hiding his body for months and collecting his paychecks pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday, a state prosecutor said.

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, now 76, was arrested in February 2018 in the death of her husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, a professor of laboratory science and pathology at UConn Health. The body of the 84-year-old man was found in the basement of the couple's home in Burlington, Connecticut, when police came over for a wellness check because his employer who had not heard from him for several months.

The medical examiner said Dr. Bigazzi died of blunt trauma to the head. Investigators said they believe he died sometime in July 2017 and that UConn Health paychecks were deposited into the couple's joint checking account from the time of his death until February 2018.

Prosecutors pursuing a murder case against Kosuda-Bigazzi claimed she left his body wrapped in plastic in their home for months while she continued to collect his salary.

Kosuda-Bigazzi had claimed self-defense in the killing.

After she was charged in 2018, Bigazzi's ex-wife, Anna Bigazzi, told CBS affiliate WFSB that police have requested copies of her back alimony checks, suspecting the signatures may have been forged.  

Neighbors who wanted to remain anonymous told the station that Kosuda-Bigazzi was "confrontational," and that parents had called the police at least twice after she allegedly showed anger toward neighborhood children.

Hartford State's Attorney Sharmese Walcott said Monday that Kosuda-Bigazzi pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree larceny.

"This case has been pending for six years so we are thankful we were able to reach a resolution today," Walcott said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 28.

In:
• Manslaughter
• Connecticut