Ronnie Wiggs made his first appearance Monday on a second-degree murder charge and was referred to the public defender’s office. A hearing was set for Thursday to review his $250,000 bond. A phone message that was left with the public defender’s office wasn’t immediately returned. His wife was getting a new port for her dialysis when staff at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri, called a “code blue” Friday because she was unresponsive.
But the statement said the woman’s son brought Wiggs back to see her and he confessed. Staff heard him say, “I did it, I killed her, I choked her,” according to the statement. He then was arrested and told a detective that he covered his wife’s nose and mouth to keep her from screaming, the statement said. He said he was depressed and couldn’t handle the caregiving and bills.