76-Year-Old Connecticut Woman Admits to Killing Husband, Hiding His Body and Collecting His Paychecks

A 76-year-old Connecticut woman, Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter six years after being accused of murdering her husband and embezzling his paychecks. The guilty plea was entered on Monday, announced by Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott in a press release.

Kosuda-Bigazzi, the wife of University of Connecticut professor Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, was initially charged with murder after her husband's body was discovered at their Burlington home in February 2018. Police, responding to a welfare check request from the victim's employer, found the body in the couple's basement. Dr. Bigazzi is believed to have died in July 2017 from blunt force trauma to the head.

An investigation revealed that paychecks from the victim's employer were deposited into the couple's joint account from July 2017 until the body's discovery in February 2018.

Kosuda-Bigazzi pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree larceny. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 28 in Hartford Superior Court.

Walcott expressed gratitude for the resolution after six years of pending litigation.

Previously charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence in February 2018, Kosuda-Bigazzi posted $1.5 million bail and was placed under house arrest.

UConn Health expressed sadness over Dr. Bigazzi's passing in 2018, stating that after being unable to reach him, concerned departmental leadership contacted UConn Police, who found his body and alerted local police. The investigation was conducted in collaboration with the State Police.