Gruesome details revealed: CT man allegedly admits disposing of woman's body in trash bags, luggage

Yahoo

30-04-2025

A Groton man charged with murder in the death of his roommate allegedly admitted to dismembering the woman after beating her with a baseball bat and disposing of her remains in black trash bags and luggage, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Donald Coffel, 68, was arrested Friday and charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and improper disposal of a body in the death of 58-year-old Suzanne Worser. He was being held on a $1 million bond and was arraigned in court in New London on Monday.
On March 19, officers from the City of Groton Police Department received a phone call stating that a black luggage bag was in front of Colonel Ledyard Cemetery at 240 Mitchell St. in Groton. The caller told dispatch that he noticed the bag was next to the two trash cans for several weeks and said he was curious so he walked up to the bag and looked inside the bag. 'The caller stated he could smell the odor of something rotting inside,' the warrant affidavit said.
Officers responded to the scene, according to the warrant affidavit. As they approached the black suitcase, they said they could smell a 'rotten odor.' Officers opened the suitcase to expose the contents and discovered it was a female human torso that had been wrapped in a black trash bag, the warrant affidavit said.
At this time, officers on the scene blocked off the area. The City of Groton Police Department's Detective Division was called to the scene, along with the Connecticut State's Attorney's Office, the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad and the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to the warrant affidavit.
Inside the suitcase were human remains which consisted of a female torso without the extremities, head and neck, and a black trash bag, which was next to the neck area, the warrant affidavit said. The OCME transported the remains to the medical examiner in Farmington.
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Investigators began reviewing Automatic License Plate Reader footage in FLOCK for the area of Mitchell Street to determine when the suitcase appeared. They were able to narrow the time frame to a date range between Feb. 13-18, according to the warrant affidavit.
Detectives met with a forensic anthropologist at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on April 9 who said she believed the victim's age was between 45 and 65 years old, according to the warrant affidavit. The victim's manner of death was ruled a homicide. The OCME also determined the unidentified female may have had Turner Syndrome. 'Turner Syndrome is a developmental disability resulting in underdeveloped reproductive organs and growth,' the warrant affidavit said.
Around that time, police released information that they believed the woman may have suffered from Turner syndrome. On April 11, a tip line was established, which began to receive additional information, according to the warrant affidavit.
According to the warrant affidavit, a family member contacted police reporting that she believed the victim was her sister, later identified as Worser, the warrant affidavit said. She said she was concerned because she has not heard from Worser since the beginning of the year and Worser did not call her to wish a happy birthday, which was unlike her. She said Worser matched the description of the woman in the press release, the warrant affidavit said.
The night, City of Groton officers went to the Worser's residence on Allen Street to conduct a welfare check. Officers were unsuccessful in contacting her, according to the warrant affidavit.
The following day, detectives received a call from a second family member stating that she also believed the remains could be her sister-in-law. The family member and her husband said they had not heard from Worser since before Christmas, the warrant affidavit said.
Investigators conducted a master name search in NEXGEN system for Worser and noted that the last interaction with her was back on Oct. 17, 2024 for a welfare check at the Allen Street residence, according to the warrant affidavit. The dispatch log entry stated the she was in good health. Detectives conducted an address search and found that Coffel was living with Worser. The last entry that had Coffel and Worser together at the residence was on Dec. 14, 2024 for a medical assist, where Coffel was transported to a local hospital, the warrant affidavit said.
Detectives went to the Allen Street residence on April 17 and alleged that the blinds were bent and damaged and the apartment appeared to be in disarray, according to the warrant affidavit. The detectives contacted the property manager who told police Coffel has terminal pancreatic cancer. He said he was last seen living at the apartment about three weeks ago when was sent to the hospital, the warrant affidavit said.
The property manager agreed to allow detectives in the unit. Detectives later learned that property manager changed the locks to the apartment shortly after Coffel was transported to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London during the beginning of April due to not paying rent. While walking toward the apartment, the property manager stated that the apartment smelled like something died in there, according to the warrant affidavit.
As the door opened, detectives noted the odor of decomposition, the warrant affidavit said. Detectives said the contents of the apartment were scattered and in disarray. The front door opened to the living room, a sofa bed was set up in the middle of the room. Police observed a partial spray bottle of some type of cleaning product on a stool, the warrant affidavit said.
In the living room, detectives noticed that a brown bookshelf was pulled away from the wall and there was a brown and black baseball bat that appeared to be wedged behind it. At the end of the bat, investigators allegedly noticed what appeared to be dried blood-like substance and brown hair strands that were stuck to the end of it, according to the warrant affidavit. Investigators noticed the arm on the sofa bed had 'significant discoloration' that appeared to be dried blood-like substance. Based on the observations, investigators made the decision to apply for a search and seizure warrant for the residence, the warrant affidavit said.
Later that day, investigators from the Eastern District Major Crime Squad conducted an initial walk through of the apartment after the search warrant was approved. Detectives allegedly discovered a blood-like substance on the ceiling of the kitchen and it appeared that there was a blood-like substance on living room couch, the warrant affidavit says.
Items seized included a garbage bag that contained a women's purse, wallet, identification cards for Worser, various cards and a garbage bag that contained a mixture of male and female clothing that were saturated in a red blood-like substance, the warrant affidavit said. Detectives also allegedly observed a blood-like substance smearing on the kitchen floor into the bedroom and a large area of a dried blood-like substance on the floor from the kitchen into the kitchen closet. The kitchen closet floor allegedly had a dried blood-like substance and investigators used two cotton tip swabs with sterile water to collect the blood-like substance. The swabs were secured in an envelope and brought back to City of Groton Police Department, according to the warrant affidavit.
Detectives learned Coffel was still a patient at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. They met with him and conducted a 2 1/2 hour interview in his hospital room that was recorded on their department issued body-worn camera. Detectives explained they were there because Worser's family had reported her missing. Coffel told police he moved in with Worser around the later part of November 2024. He stated he had back surgery on Dec. 22, 2024 at Yale New Haven Hospital and was released early January, the warrant affidavit said.
Coffel claimed Worser was still at the residence when he got back from his back surgery, according to the warrant affidavit. Since then, he said he had been in and out of the hospital. He claimed that after one of his hospital visits he came back to the Allen Street residence and Worser was no longer there, according to the warrant affidavit.
Coffel told detectives they got along OK with no arguments. However, he claimed he was 'freaked out' about the state of uncleanliness in the apartment and that Worser would get up at odd hours and turn lights or tv on. Another incident Coffel mentioned was when he returned from a hospital stay and alleged that Worser stole money out of a black leather briefcase he used to own, the warrant affidavit said.
Coffel signed a written consent to search form for his DNA. Detectives collected two sets of buccal swabs which were packaged, according to the affidavit.
Detectives asked about the baseball bat the observed in the apartment. Coffel said there was a bat behind the front door in the corner but claimed that it was not his bat. He said moved it one day looking in the closet and putting Worser's jackets away after he was told he had to be out of the apartment, the warrant affidavit said.
According to the warrant affidavit, Coffel believed Worser went missing between January and February while he was hospitalized. Coffel said when he returned home, he did not call police because he did not know what the deal was with her disappearance.
Detectives asked Coffel if anything was out of place when he returned home from the hospital. At first, he claimed that no furniture was out of place. Then he alleged that he moved some things when pulling out the couch bed and he got really freaked out when he noticed the left arm of the couch had a 'big ass blood stain on it,' the warrant affidavit said.
Coffel stated he had never seen the stain because the arm of the chair was covered with a blanket and alleged it must have been there before but it was covered, according to the affidavit. Detectives asked why he never called the police and he stated he was not thinking.
Detectives submitted one of the swabs that was collected from the kitchen closet floor to the Rapid DNA Kiosk at New London Police Department on April 18. Later in the day, they received a confirmation that swab was a match to the human remains found on March 19, the warrant affidavit said.
Detectives spoke with Coffel again on April 22. Detectives asked if he had watched the news, and he said he had not. Coffel then asked the detective if they 'found her.' Detectives asked him if he heard about the remains police had found, and Coffel said his friend had called him and told him they found body parts, the warrant affidavit says.
Detectives asked when was the last time Coffel saw Worser. Coffel said he believed it was when he got back from his surgery in December. A detective reminded Coffel that he said on the last interview that Worser had been there when he came back from that surgery, the warrant affidavit said. Coffel then claimed the last time he talked with Worser was before Christmas.
Detectives told Coffel they found items in the apartment that suggested that something happened there. Coffel claimed he did not know what happened, according to the warrant affidavit. Detectives told Coffel there was blood all over the apartment on the walls and floors as well as the baseball bat. Coffel said he remembered the blood on the couch but not in other places. Detectives asked if Worser attacked him and Coffel said no. They asked if his DNA was going to show up on the Worser's body and he said 'I don't know.'
Detectives received a phone call during the interview and stepped out of the room. They learned that another witness had called the City of Groton Police Department and reported details about the incident. The witness told a detective that Coffel told him about hitting Worser with a baseball bat and cutting her up, the warrant affidavit said.
When the detective returned to the room, they told Coffel they received a tip from a witness who claimed that Coffel told them Worser stole $200 from him and Coffel said he hit her over the head with a baseball bat and disposed of her body in trash bags. Coffel replied, 'I didn't do that,' according to the warrant affidavit.
After a back and forth with Coffel, detectives asked him if he wanted them to leave and he shook his head yes, the warrant affidavit said.
On April 22, the witness came to the police station to issue provide a written and signed statement. The witness said Coffel had moved to live with his sister in Missouri sometime around November 2024 and returned the next month, begged him to stay at his place, according to the warrant affidavit. The witness said he allowed Coffel to spend the night for one night. The witness said Coffel then called 'the lady' on Allen Street and he ended up staying with her, the warrant affidavit said.
The witness claimed that at another point in time, Coffel went to the hospital. When he came home, Coffel allegedly told him the female resident of apartment stole his crack cocaine and he was going to kill her. The witness believed Coffel told him this near the end of December 2024. The witness claimed that about a month or two later, Coffel came back to his house and told him they were not going to see the 'lady'again and that she was gone, the warrant affidavit says.
The witness said the next time he saw Coffel, he allegedly told him he would not believe what happened with 'the lady.' The witness alleged Coffel said he hit her three times in the head with a baseball bat, and said her head 'split' and 'she was dead.' The witness alleged Coffel told him he cut her into pieces, put her in different black plastic bags and threw her in a trash bin, the warrant affidavit said. The witness said he did not believe Coffel at the time.
The witness also remembered that sometime in February, Coffel told him someone stole his suitcase and the witness now realized he did something else with the suitcase. The witness said he felt overwhelmed with the information and contacted the City of Groton Police Department, the warrant affidavit says.
Detective spoke Coffel at the hospital the next day. Prior to interviewing him, detectives read him his Miranda rights. Approximately 40 minutes into the interview, detectives told Coffel about the information that the witness gave police. As the detective speaking, Coffel was allegedly nodding his head up and down. The detective asked Coffel if he was nodding his head 'yes' because that's what happened, and Coffel allegedly responded, 'yeah,' the warrant affidavit says.
Detectives asked Coffel to tell them what happened and he allegedly said, 'Alright man, I did it, I hit her in the head with a (expletive) baseball bat and it cracked her (expletive) head open,' according to the warrant affidavit.
Coffel said one day the witness dropped him off at the apartment where he and Worser lived. Coffel claimed could not remember exactly when, possibly the first part of January. He allegedly said he grabbed the baseball bat that was outside the closet in the corner, walked toward Worser and hit her on the head three times. He allegedly said after he hit her, she looked dead, the warrant affidavit said.
Coffel said he checked to see if Worser was alive, but she was not, the warrant affidavit says. He allegedly said he kept Worser in the apartment for about 1 1/2 weeks before dismembering her. Coffel allegedly said after he dismembered her, he put the parts in black trash bags and disposed of those in two different dumpsters. Coffel allegedly said he was unable to dispose of one of the pieces and wheeled it to the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery entrance in a suitcase.
Based on the information obtained during the investigation, Coffel was arrested and charged.