Man Accused of Living With Woman’s Body for a Week Before Dismembering and Dumping It

It is reported that a man from Connecticut murdered a lady by beating her to death with a baseball bat at the expense of two hundred dollars in cocaine. After that, he allegedly lived with her body in their apartment for a week and a half before dismembering her, placing her torso in a suitcase, and rolling it to a cemetery in the vicinity.

Suzanne Wormser, 58 years old, was found dead in the city of Groton, and Donald Coffel is being accused of murder in connection with her death. Groton municipal police began their investigation on March 19, after a passerby detected a foul odor coming from a suitcase that was located near the entrance of Colonel Ledyard Cemetery, as stated in an arrest affidavit that was posted to the local CBS affiliate WFSB. After noticing the suitcase close to some trash cans, the caller informed the police that he became intrigued about what was contained within the suitcase. It smelled like something was rotting inside the luggage when he stepped close to it, so he called the police to let them know about it.

After arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers opened the luggage and discovered the torso of a woman’s body. The head and other extremities were missing from the body. A press announcement regarding the killing was published on the Facebook page of the police department on April 11th, along with a tip line for the FBI. During the conversation, Wormser’s sister mentioned that she hadn’t heard from her in several months and that she didn’t phone to wish her a happy birthday, which was not typical of her behavior. She provided the police with Wormser’s location, and the officers went to investigate the apartment located in the 100 block of Allen Street, which by coincidence is located less than one thousand feet away from the cemetery.

It was also discovered by the officers that Coffel had lived with her for a period of time. The neighbors reported to the police that they had not seen Wormser in some months, and that Coffel was currently being treated at the hospital. It was clear that a criminal act had been committed when law enforcement officers entered the residence, as stated in the affidavit. Several items, including clothing, rugs, furniture, and walls, were covered in blood. An additional baseball bat was discovered by the investigators concealed behind a bookcase. It was seen by the law enforcement officers that the bat had what seemed to be dried blood and strands of brown hair that were matted on it.

Detectives traveled to the hospital in order to have a conversation with Coffel, who was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer at the time. It was during a non-custodial interview that Coffel disclosed that he had been Wormser’s neighbor in the past, prior to his relocation to Arizona for a period of a few months in order to be closer to his sister. Therefore, he relocated back to Groton because that did not work out. Wormser gave him permission to move in with her beginning in late November because he was unable to find a suitable place to reside elsewhere. He disclosed to the authorities that Wormser was struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues, and despite the fact that he did not particularly like her, he tolerated her since she was enabling him to reside in the apartment.

Late in December, according to Coffel, he underwent surgery on his back, and he remained in the hospital until late January, when he finally decided to go home. He claimed that she was present when he arrived home, but she left after a while. According to the affidavit, the police stated that he “seemed to settle on the idea of the victim going missing between January and February when he came back from a hospital visit.” According to the allegations, Coffel stated that he was unaware of her whereabouts and that it was not unusual for her to disappear for a day or two at a time and then return.

In the meantime, the blood that was found in the flat was tested by the investigators, and the results showed that it was a DNA match to the remains that were discovered in the bag at the cemetery.

On the 22nd of April, a witness called the police and told them that Coffel reportedly revealed to him that he hit Wormser with a baseball bat because she took $200 worth of cocaine that was in his briefcase. The witness told the detectives that Coffel confirmed to him that he did this. According to the affidavit, they went back to the hospital on April 23 and confronted Coffel with this news. They also questioned whether or not they were going to find his DNA on her body. During the course of the investigation, Coffel allegedly admitted to the crime he committed.

He reportedly responded with, “Alright, man,” as stated in the affidavit. Yes, I did it. It was a baseball bat that I used to beat her in the head, and it caused her head to crack open.

Coffel is said to have told law enforcement that he murdered her at some point in the beginning of January. As a result of his distress about the disappearance of the narcotics, he allegedly approached her with the bat and struck her three times in the head, resulting in her death, as reported by the police. According to the police, he used a hacksaw to dismember her after he had been living with the body for around a week and a half. It was said in the affidavit that he disposed of her pieces by placing them in garbage bags and then dumping them in two different dumpsters. In accordance with the requirements of the affidavit, he placed the torso into the suitcase and transported it to the cemetery.

He was taken into custody in the hospital, where he is still being held, after the police acquired a warrant for his murder.

As a result of the grisly nature of the case and the limited amount of information that was made available to the public during the initial stages of the inquiry, speculations began to circulate regarding the possibility of a serial murderer. At a news conference held on Friday to announce Coffel’s arrest, however, law enforcement officials dispelled that myth.

A bond of one million dollars is being held for Coffel.