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Groton Man Held on $1M Bond After Confessing to Roommate’s Murder and Dismemberment

Donald Coffel, 68, is charged with murder and other offenses after admitting to killing Suzanne Wormser, 58, and disposing of her remains in a suitcase near a local cemetery.

Donald Coffel, 68, is facing charges of murder, tampering with physical evidence and improper disposal of a body. (Courtesy of City of Groton Police Department)
Donald Coffel (inset) is charged with killing his roommate and depositing her dismembered remains in a suitcase outside a Groton, Ct cemetery (main photo). (Google; Groton PD)
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Overview

  • Police arrested Donald Coffel on April 25, charging him with murder, tampering with evidence, and improper disposal of a body in the death of his roommate, Suzanne Wormser.
  • Coffel confessed to striking Wormser with a baseball bat, dismembering her body, and leaving her torso in a suitcase near Colonel Ledyard Cemetery in Groton, Connecticut.
  • Investigators linked forensic evidence from the crime scene to the shared apartment, where they recovered a baseball bat, handsaw, blood, and Wormser’s personal belongings.
  • Authorities emphasized that the killing was a targeted domestic crime, dispelling earlier fears of a regional serial killer following other unrelated body discoveries in New England.
  • Coffel remains in custody on a $1 million bond and appeared virtually in court on April 28 due to health issues, with further legal proceedings scheduled for June.