Man accused of strangling wife at Independence hospital pleads not guilty to murder charge
A 75-year-old Independence man accused of strangling his wife to death while she was at Centerpoint Medical Center last month pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Thursday.
A grand jury indicted Ronnie J. Wiggs on a second-degree murder charge in Jackson County Circuit Court earlier this month. In an appearance by WebEx Thursday afternoon, Wiggs pleaded not guilty to the charge and had a pre-trial hearing set for July 12.
Wiggs has remained in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center on $250,000 bond.
Wiggs was arrested after police were called to the Independence hospital’s intensive care unit May 3 for an assault. The victim had injuries to her neck and was later declared dead. Investigators were told by staff that Wiggs had said, “I did it, I killed her, I choked her,” according to court documents.
A family member told police the victim had been at the hospital to get a new port for her dialysis.
Wiggs was arrested and allegedly said in an interview with a detective he had killed his wife by choking her and covering her mouth and nose to keep her from screaming. He also said he was depressed and killed her because he could not take care of her any longer and could not pay the medical bills, according to court documents.
