A 68-year-old man from Groton, Donald Coffel, has passed away at the Corrigan Correctional Center after being accused of killing and dismembering his roommate, 58-year-old Suzanne Wormser. The Connecticut Department of Correction confirmed his death on Friday, stating that it is not suspicious, and the cause will be determined by the medical examiner.
Coffel allegedly confessed to hitting Wormser with a baseball bat, keeping her body in their shared apartment for over a week, dismembering her, and disposing of her body parts in garbage bags. He then placed her torso in a suitcase and left it near the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery. A witness discovered the suitcase in March, leading to the determination of Wormser’s death as a homicide in April.
The investigation revealed that Coffel, who had previously lived in the area, returned to Groton and stayed with Wormser. A witness reported that Coffel had threatened to kill Wormser after accusing her of stealing crack cocaine from him. Despite being held on a $1 million bond, Coffel made his last court appearance virtually due to health issues.
