Suspect, 68, dismembered his 58-year-old roommate and left her remains in a suitcase near a cemetery, cops say

A Connecticut man faces murder charges after police found his roommate’s torso stuffed inside a suitcase near a cemetery.

Donald Coffel, 68, of Groton, was arrested on Friday and admitted to killing 58-year-old Suzanne Wormser as he revealed gruesome details to investigators, according to his arrest warrant obtained WFSB.

Coffel told police, “Alright man, I did it. I hit her in the head with a f***ing baseball bat and it cracked her f***ing head open.”

After beating her with the bat, according to police, he explained that he kept her dead body in the apartment they shared for over a week and then he “cut her up into pieces.”

Coffel then divided up her remains into two trash bags, which he tossed in a dumpster. He then put Wormser’s torso in a suitcase and left the luggage at the entrance of the Colonel Ledyard Cemetery, not far from their apartment.

On March 19, a passerby called police about the bag after noticing it had been there for weeks. When the witness became curious and looked inside, he said he could smell something rotting inside.

Police responded and discovered the torso inside the bag, according to the warrant. It was determined that the suitcase had been there since mid-February.

Wormser was not reported missing until April 17, according to the warrant. A family member told police they had not heard from her since December, which they said was unusual.

Police searched the apartment Wormser and Coffel shared after hearing concerns from her family. They discovered a large amount of blood and a baseball bat with human hairs attached, the warrant said.

When detectives then spoke with Coffel, he was in Lawrence + Memorial Hospital being treated for complications related to his cancer, according to the warrant.

Wormser’s murder prompted fears across the community that a serial killer could be in the area. But police have since said they believe that Coffel acted alone and that there is no ongoing threat to the public, WFSB reported.

Coffel, who is being held on $1 million bond, faces charges of murder, tampering with evidence, and improper disposal of a body.

He appeared in New London Superior Court virtually on Monday due to health issues and is expected to be back in court on June 10.