A Connecticut man accused of killing his roommate and stuffing her remains in a suitcase has died in prison, authorities said Tuesday.
Donald Coffel, 68, died Friday at a state prison in Uncasville where he had resided since being charged in the killing and dismemberment of Suzanne Wormser, according to the Connecticut Department of Corrections.
Coffel had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the Torrington Register Citizen reported.
While corrections officials said Coffel’s cause of death would be determined by Connecticut’s state medical examiner, the chief coroner said he would not undergo an autopsy because his death was not considered suspicious, according to the Register Citizen. Instead, a doctor will determine Coffel’s cause of death.
Coffel was arrested April 25 and remained behind bars afterward, unable to post $1 million bail. He had been charged with murder, tampering with evidence and improper disposal of a body.
Investigators said Coffel admitted to striking Wormser, 58, three times in the head with a baseball bat in late January. He also admitted to keeping her body in the Groton apartment they shared for just over a week, according to police.
At that point, Coffel dismembered Wormser’s body, placing some of her body parts in two large garbage bags and tossing them in a dumpster, cops said. He stuffed her torso into a suitcase, which he left at the entrance to Colonel Ledyard Cemetery, about 800 feet from their apartment, according to investigators.
Wormser’s remains were discovered on March 19, which sparked the police investigation. A witness later told police that Coffel threatened to kill Wormser for stealing $200 worth of cocaine from him.
The discovery of Wormser’s body, along with other dismembered murder victims in New England, sparked online rumors of a serial killer in the region. However, police said the various cases have no connection.
