A Connecticut man allegedly beat a woman to death with a baseball bat for $200 in cocaine, then lived with her body in their apartment for a week and a half before dismembering her, placing her torso in a suitcase, and transporting it to a nearby cemetery.
Donald Coffel is accused of murder in the death of Suzanne Wormser, 58, in the city of Groton. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit posted to local CBS affiliate WFSB, Groton city police began investigating on March 19 after a passerby smelled a foul odor from a suitcase near the entrance to Colonel Ledyard Cemetery.
The caller told cops that he noticed the suitcase near some trash cans and was curious about what was inside. When he approached the suitcase, it smelled like something was rotting inside, so he called the police.
Cops arrived on the scene and opened the suitcase to discover the torso of a woman’s body, missing her head and extremities. On April 11, police posted a press release about the death on their Facebook page, along with an FBI tip line.
Wormser’s sister called in to say she hadn’t heard from her in months and didn’t call to wish her a happy birthday, which was unusual for her. She gave cops Wormser’s address, and detectives went to investigate the apartment in the 100 block of Allen Street, which is less than 1,000 feet from the cemetery.
Officers also discovered that Coffel had lived with her for some time. Neighbors told cops they hadn’t seen Wormser in months, and Coffel was hospitalized. According to the affidavit, cops entered the home and discovered evidence of a crime.
There was blood on the walls, carpets, furniture, and clothing. Investigators also discovered a baseball bat hidden behind a bookcase. The bat appeared to have dried blood and strands of brown hair matted on it, according to the cops.
Detectives visited the hospital to speak with Coffel, who was being treated for pancreatic cancer. During a noncustodial interview, Coffel stated that he used to be Wormser’s neighbor before moving to Arizona for a few months to be near his sister.
That didn’t work out, so he returned to Groton. Wormser allowed him to live with her beginning in late November because he had no other place to live. He told cops Wormser had drug and mental health problems, and he didn’t like her, but he tolerated her because she let him live in the apartment.
Coffel stated that he underwent back surgery in late December and remained in the hospital before returning home in late January. He claimed she was present when he arrived home but later left.
According to the affidavit, the policeman “seemed to settle on the idea of the victim going missing between January and February when he came back from a hospital visit.” Coffel allegedly claimed he had no idea where she went and that it was not uncommon for her to leave for a day or two at a time before returning.
Meanwhile, investigators tested the blood in the apartment, which revealed a DNA match to the remains discovered in the suitcase at the cemetery.
On April 22, detectives received a call from a witness who claimed Coffel admitted to him that he beat Wormser with a baseball bat after she stole $200 in cocaine from his briefcase.
They returned to the hospital on April 23 and confronted Coffel about the revelation, questioning whether they would find his DNA on her body, according to the affidavit. Following repeated questioning, Coffel allegedly confessed to his crime.
“Alright man,” he said, according to the affidavit. “I did it. I hit her in the head with a f—ing baseball bat, which cracked her f—ing skull open.”
Coffel allegedly told cops that he killed her sometime in early January. He claimed that, upset about the missing drugs, he approached her with the bat and hit her in the head three times, killing her, according to police.
After about a week and a half of living with the body, he cut her up with a hacksaw, according to police. According to the affidavit, he disposed of her body parts in trash bags and dumped them in two separate dumpsters. According to the affidavit, he placed the torso in a suitcase and transported it to the cemetery.
Police obtained a murder warrant and arrested him in the hospital, where he remains.
Because the case was so gruesome and so few details were made public in the early stages of the investigation, rumors circulated about a possible serial killer. However, during a press conference announcing Coffel’s arrest on Friday, cops denied the rumor.
Coffel is being held under a $1 million bond.