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On Wednesday, in Connecticut, a woman was discovered deceased at her home just hours prior to her scheduled sentencing for her husband’s manslaughter. Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 76, had earlier admitted to the 2017 manslaughter of her 84-year-old spouse, Pierluigi Bigazzi, who was a professor at the University of Connecticut Health. He was found deceased in their Burlington home’s basement after his employer, concerned by several months of no communication, requested a welfare check, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Additionally, Kosuda-Bigazzi had pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny for collecting her late husband’s salary after his demise. Investigations revealed that his employer continued sending checks, which she deposited from July 2017 until his body was found in February 2018.
Kosuda-Bigazzi, who was set to receive a 13-year prison sentence as per a plea agreement, was supposed to appear for her hearing at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Her lawyer described her death as unexpected and expressed honor at having represented her throughout this six-year complex legal battle, praising her independence and resilience.
Connecticut State Police have begun investigating her “untimely death.” They were called to her residence after reports came in at about 10:37 a.m.
ET that morning, indicating someone was unable to contact her. State troopers, along with local fire department personnel, entered her home, finding Kosuda-Bigazzi unresponsive and pronounced her dead at the scene.
No further information has been released by state police. ABC News has requested additional details from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. Kosuda-Bigavigi had been free on $1.5 million bail while she awaited her sentencing.
Court records show Kosuda-Bigazzi claimed in handwritten documents discovered at her house that she had killed her husband in self-defense. A medical examiner concluded that Pierluigi Bigazzi died from blunt injuries to the head.
Dr. Bigazzi had been on the faculty of the UConn Health School of Medicine for over four decades, and Kosuda-Bigazzi had also been associated with UConn Health, initially as a science instructor and later volunteering alongside her husband until the summer of 2017.