A Missouri man charged with strangling his wife told the police that he had killed her while she was lying in a hospital bed because he could not take care of her or pay her medical bills, prosecutors said. The man, Ronnie Wiggs, 75, of Independence, Mo., appeared in court on Monday on a second-degree murder charge, records show. About 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ms. Wiggs, was seen in her room “alert and oriented,” according to court records. (Code blue is a hospital announcement that typically means a patient is in cardiac or respiratory arrest.) She was unresponsive and did not have a pulse, according to charging documents.

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Persons: Ronnie Wiggs, Ellen Wiggs, Wiggs Organizations: Centerpoint, Center Locations: Missouri, Independence, Mo, Kansas City