Connecticut
Connecticut woman found dead hours before sentencing for husband's death
A 76-year-old Connecticut woman was found dead at her home Wednesday, hours before she was to be sentenced for killing her husband and hiding his body for months while continuing to collect his paychecks.
State police said they were investigating the “untimely death” of Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi after being called to her Burlington home for a welfare check shortly after 10:30 a.m. The cause of her death was under investigation, and police and her lawyer did not disclose any further details.
Kosuda-Bigazzi had been scheduled under a plea deal to be sentenced at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Hartford Superior Court to 13 years in prison for the 2017 death of her husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, 84.
Her lawyer, Patrick Tomasiewicz, said her death was unexpected.
“We were honored to be her legal counsel and did our very best to defend her in a complex case for the past six years,” he said in a statement. “She was a very independent woman who was always in control of her own destiny.”
Police said Kosuda-Bigazzi wrote that she and her husband got into a fight after she told him repairs were needed to their home’s backyard deck. She wrote that he came at her with a hammer and she managed to wrestle it away from him during a lengthy struggle, authorities said.
“I hit him just swinging the hammer in any direction + then he was quiet — for a few seconds + then he stopped breathing,” she wrote, according to investigators. “I just wanted to slow him down. I sat on the floor by the kitchen cabinets across from the stove — next to him for a long time.”
State troopers found her husband’s body in their basement in February 2018 during a wellness check requested by UConn Health staff. It was wrapped in plastic and showed an advanced stage of decomposition, authorities said. The medical examiner said he had died from blunt trauma to his head.
Investigators have said they believe Pierluigi Bigazzi died sometime in July 2017 and that his UConn Health paychecks continued to be deposited into the couple’s joint checking account until his body was found.
An internal investigation by UConn resulted in the disciplining of a school medical official who was supposed to monitor Pierluigi Bigazzi’s work but had no contact with him in the months before his body was found.
Connecticut
New businesses heading to West Haven’s shoreline
New businesses are soon set to replace old, rundown buildings in West Haven.
By the end of the summer, the former Savin Rock conference center is slated to become the Kelsey, a restaurant and banquet facility.
Crews are currently working on the inside, according to Mayor Dorinda Borer.
Next door, Jimmies of Savin Rock sits empty after it closed last month. It was open for a hundred years and is now for sale.
Borer said it’s another opportunity to draw people to the city.
“When there are new developers in town, and they’re making things all bright and shiny, that makes people attracted to our city,” Borer said. “It just seems like everything’s starting to bust loose at once. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and then it all starts to come to fruition.”
Thirty new luxury apartments are set to replace the Debonair Beach Motel that fell into disrepair after its last day open more than a decade ago. Demolition began last fall, and it’s expected to continue in March.
Down the street, new condos were built by the same owner of the restaurant and bar Riva. They opened their doors last summer, welcoming eager crowds.
“The turnout’s been unbelievable,” Riva’s owner, Michael Delvecchio, said. “People traveling from other states, New York, Rhode Island, all over Connecticut. It’s something that West Haven been dying for.”
Riva replaced Chick’s Drive-In, a West Haven hot-dog and seafood staple that closed in 2015 after its owner passed away.
Delvecchio doesn’t ignore that history. A sign that says “The Lodge at Riva” will be removed and replaced with “Chick’s” during the summer, with accompanying pictures of Savin Rock amusement park on the walls.
“Everybody in town has been, with all this shoreline and all this beach, waiting for something to happen,” he said. “Riva’s a little bit of everything.”
Connecticut
State opens investigation into former New Haven police chief amid stolen money allegations
Connecticut State Police and the Chief State’s Attorney have opened an investigation into former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobsen and allegations that he misused public funds.
The City of New Haven reported the allegations to State’s Attorney John Doyle on Monday.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said Monday Jacobson admitted to stealing money from a fund used by the New Haven Police Department to pay for an support its confidential informant program.
Several officers flagged irregularities in the account and notified the three assistant chiefs in the department, according to Elicker. It was then that the assistant chiefs confronted Jacobson on Monday morning.
Elicker said after being confronted, Jacobson admitted to taking the funds. The assistant chiefs then notified Chief Administrative Officer Justin McCarthy, who then notified Elicker.
Jacobson was called in for a meeting with Elicker, where he was to be placed on administrative leave. Elicker said that before the meeting, Jacobson handed in his paperwork to retire, effective immediately.
The mayor was unable to share additional details on how much money was reportedly taken or for how long due to the ongoing investigation.
Assistant Chief David Zannelli has been appointed as the acting police chief.
State police will conduct the investigation and Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin has appointed New Britain Judicial District State’s Attorney Christian Watson to oversee the investigation to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Connecticut
Made in Connecticut: Rochambeau Memorial Monument
-
World1 week agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
News1 week agoFor those who help the poor, 2025 goes down as a year of chaos
-
Science1 week agoWe Asked for Environmental Fixes in Your State. You Sent In Thousands.
-
Business1 week agoA tale of two Ralphs — Lauren and the supermarket — shows the reality of a K-shaped economy
-
Detroit, MI4 days ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Politics1 week agoCommentary: America tried something new in 2025. It’s not going well
-
Politics1 week agoMarjorie Taylor Greene criticizes Trump’s meetings with Zelenskyy, Netanyahu: ‘Can we just do America?’
-
Health1 week agoRecord-breaking flu numbers reported in New York state, sparking warnings from officials