A faculty member of UConn's School of Medicine who was found dead in Burlington February was allegedly discovered in black garbage bags under a tarp in the basement and the body may have been decomposing for months, the arrest warrant said.
Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi's 70-year-old wife, Linda L. Kosuda-Bigazzi, is accused of killing her husband after police responded to their home on Smith Lane Feb. 5.
Police said the woman is claiming self-defense.
The investigation began when police responded to the home for a well-being check after officials from UConn contacted authorities when they failed to hear from him about an administrative matter.
Upon arriving, officers noticed "insect activity" coming from the door that led to the basement. When police opened the door and walked downstairs, they saw a tarp covering human remains, according to the arrest warrant.
"Based upon the levels of decomposition, it was apparent that the individual had been deceased for an extended period of time," the arrest warrant reads.
After remains were found, Kosuda-Bigazzi's attorney, who arrived to the scene when police were called, said the 70-year-old woman had a plan to harm herself. Kosuda-Bigazzi was transported to Bristol Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Police obtained a search and seizure warrant to further inspect the home. During the search, remains were found encased in black plastic garbage bags secured with duct tape.
As police continued to investigate, they found blood-like stains on the floor, ceiling and cabinetry in the kitchen, with signs indicative of previous attempts to clean. Police also observed several shopping bags that contained cleaning materials, black plastic garbage bags and duct tape.
Neighbors police interviewed said the doctor had not been seen for approximately six months.
Later in February, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) ruled Pierluigi Bigazzi's death a homicide, caused by blunt-force trauma.
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A number of items were seized from the home, including a hammer that was found in the bathroom near the kitchen and diary entries that appeared to be written in Kosuda-Bigazzi's handwriting, according to police documents.
In those writings, Kosuda-Bigazzi allegedly described a physical encounter between herself and her husband.
"I turned to him + (sic) saw the hammer move past my face," the arrest warrant alleges the notes said.
The messages describe the two rolling around and trying to get the hammer from one another. The writer explains getting the hammer and swinging it in any direction for a few seconds before allegedly striking Bigazzi. They wrote that a few seconds later he stopped breathing.
"I just wanted to slow him down," the notes said.
At her arraignment on Feb. 13, a judge ordered Kosuda-Bigazzi to house arrest and GPS monitoring. She will also not be allowed to have a passport. Her next hearing is on March 20.
Bigazzi was a faculty member at the UConn medical school for more than 40 years.
