A tragic event unfolded in Connecticut just hours before a woman was set to be sentenced for the murder of her husband.

On Monday, August 12, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 76, was found deceased at her Burlington home on the morning of Wednesday, July 24. She had taken her own life, with the cause determined to be a toxic reaction to ethylene glycol.

Ethylene glycol is a substance used in various industrial and consumer products, including antifreeze, brake fluids, some inks, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, plastics, and cosmetics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Connecticut State Police were called to Kosuda-Bigazzi’s residence at 10:37 a.m. on July 24 after a concern was raised about her well-being. Reports indicated that she was scheduled to be sentenced for the killing of her 84-year-old husband, Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi, at 2 p.m. that day. Authorities reported that initial attempts to reach anyone inside the home were unsuccessful, and with the help of the local fire department, officers forced entry and found Kosuda-Bigazzi unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kosuda-Bigazzi’s death came four months after she had pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree manslaughter and first-degree theft in March.

Her arrest followed the discovery of Dr. Pierluigi Bigazzi’s body in their basement on February 5, 2018. Dr. Bigazzi had been employed at the University of Connecticut.

State Attorney Sharmese L. Walcott from Hartford Judicial District released a statement indicating that Dr. Bigazzi’s employer had requested a welfare check after losing contact with him. The investigation revealed that paychecks from his employer were continuously deposited into the couple’s joint account from the time of his death, believed to be in July 2017, until his body was discovered in early February 2018.