KANSAS CITY, MO – An Independence resident, Ronnie Wiggs, has been charged with second-degree murder following the alleged killing of his wife in a hospital bed, according to Jackson County prosecutors.
Court records released Saturday revealed that Wiggs confessed to the police that he ended his wife’s life while she was in the hospital for a dialysis port installation. Hospital staff reportedly discovered the victim unresponsive on Friday. She was quickly transferred to intensive care after the pulse was revived, but she, unfortunately, later passed away.
A uniformed officer working an off-duty shift at the hospital was summoned to the ICU moments before midnight on Friday due to the incident, according to the probable cause statement.
Following his arrest, Wiggs reportedly confided to the officers his struggles in taking care of his wife and the financial burden of her medical bills. The local domestic abuse specialists at the Rose Brooks Center expressed that such cases, while shocking, are not uncommon.
Andre Reya from the Rose Brooks Center reflected on his experience as an advocate for domestic violence victims since 2008, stating, “I’ve been doing domestic violence advocacy since 2008, and there are still situations that come up that are a surprise to me.”
Notably, Wiggs admitted that this was not his first attempt at ending his wife’s life, revealing two previous incidents during her previous medical care visits. Wiggs is currently detained on a bond of $250,000.