Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi: Connecticut wife, 72, pleads guilty to husband's 2017 death after hiding his body to collect paychecks

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

HARTFORD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT: Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, a 72-year-old woman from Connecticut, has admitted to first-degree manslaughter six years after being accused of murdering her husband, Dr Pierluigi Bigazzi, 84, and withholding his death from authorities.

The plea came on Monday, March 11, following Kosuda-Bigazzi's arrest in February 2018, as announced by Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney Sharmese L Walcott.

Pierluigi Bigazzi's body found months after death

Initially facing murder charges, Kosuda-Bigazzi was arrested after police discovered Dr Bigazzi's deceased body at their Burlington residence during a welfare check on February 5, 2018. Authorities suspected that her husband had been deceased for several months, with his body allegedly stored in the basement of their home.

"Police discovered the body while responding to a call for a welfare check at the home from the victim’s employer who had not heard from the victim for several months," according to a statement from the press release. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, placing the time of death in July 2017.

“An investigation showed paychecks from the victim’s employer continued to be deposited into the couple’s joint checking account from the time of his death, which authorities believe to be sometime in July 2017, until his body was discovered in early February 2018,” the release stated.  

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi pleads guilty after six-year wait

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,” said State’s Attorney Walcott.

Initially facing charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence, Kosuda-Bigazzi posted bail of $1.5 million after her arrest in February 2018. She was placed under house arrest, and the affidavit supporting the arrest warrant was sealed by court order. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 28 in Hartford Superior Court.