Scientist wife allegedly murders doctor husband, leaves body inside home for months

Medical examiner said the doctor died of blunt trauma to the head.

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — A University of Connecticut scientist was arraigned Tuesday on charges that she murdered her husband, a UConn doctor whose body may have been left inside their home since June.

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 70, declined comment as she entered Bristol Superior court for the hearing on a murder charge in the beating death of 84-year-old Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi. He was a professor of laboratory science and pathology at UConn Health, and she worked with him.

The arrest warrant has been sealed. The Hartford Courant reported that Bigazzi’s body was wrapped up inside the Burlington home when police conducted a welfare check on Feb. 5. They went to the home after colleagues at the school expressed concern over Bigazzi’s long absence.

This Feb. 10, 2018 photo shows the home where Pierluigi Bigazzi, professor of laboratory science and pathology at UConn Health, was found dead in Burlington, Conn. He lived there with his wife, Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, who was charged with his murder. (Rebecca Lurye/Hartford Courant via AP)

The medical examiner said the doctor died of blunt trauma to the head. Court documents indicate police believe his death may have occurred as early as June 13.

Kosuda-Bigazzi is free on home confinement after agreeing to wear a monitoring ankle bracelet and posting a $1.5 million bond.

Kosuda-Bigazzi was the pathology professor’s second wife. The Courant reported that investigators have asked Bigazzi’s first wife for copies of alimony checks dating back to this summer to determine who wrote them.

“I don’t know yet who signed the checks,” Anna Bigazzi told the newspaper. “The state police asked me to request copies of the checks from the bank and I am waiting for them. I really haven’t had any contact with my former husband in 40 years and I have no idea what is going on.”

This booking photo released Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, by the Connecticut State Police shows Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, charged with murder in the death of her 84-year-old husband Pierluigi Bigazzi, who had not been seen for months. He was a professor of laboratory science and pathology at The University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn. She worked with him. His body was found in their Burlington, Conn., home when police conducted a welfare check on Feb. 5. (Connecticut State Police via AP)

Pierluigi Bigazzi worked at UConn since 1975 and earned $200,000 last year, according to state records.

He and his wife had collaborated on more than a dozen journal articles, though some colleagues said they didn’t realize that the two were married, according to the Courant.

Kosuda-Bigazz is due back in court on March 20.

Featured Image: Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 70, center, appears at Bristol Superior court for a hearing on a murder charge, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 in Bristol, Conn. Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi is charged with murder in the death of her husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, a professor of laboratory science and pathology at UConn Health. (Patrick Raycraft/Hartford Courant via AP, Pool)