Lotto winner poisoned by husband after he found she spent £1.5M on secret son
Winning the lottery is generally considered to be a dream come true but one lucky winner's story turned into a tragedy when a web of secrets ended in her death — at the hands of her own husband.
Hungarian national Ibi Roncaioli was living in Ontario, Canada in 1999 when she and her friend bagged a $10million (£7.8million) jackpot, which they split down the middle. But Ibi decided to hide how she was spending the money from her gynaecologist husband Joseph Ronciaoli.
Unbeknownst to her husband, Ibi handed over $2million (£1.5million), a whopping 40% of her total winnings, to a secret son her family knew nothing about. She also gave another $800,000 (£625,000) to a son fathered by Joseph as well as a similar amount to a third son with a different dad.
Joseph was already growing increasingly frustrated at his wife's other spending habits, which allegedly included spending time on slot machines and forking out for booze and drugs. He eventually discovered that not only did his wife have a secret son too, but that she'd given him a significant proportion of her fortune.
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Joseph Roncaioli was convicted of manslaughter in 2008After making the discovery, a jealous and confused Joseph poisoned his wife with painkillers in 2003, killing her. The then-72-year-old was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in 2008.
Prosecutors in the trial said Joseph was upset that Ibi had spent the winnings without telling him rather than saving some for the couple's retirement. Joseph's defence claimed her drug and alcohol struggles were an "intervening cause" in her death, the Toronto Star reported.
The doctor had injected his wife with painkillers twice on the day she died, but his defence continued to suggest her drug and alcohol problems contributed to her death. According to the autopsy results, Ibi had needle marks on her legs and feet, and six ounces of alcohol in her body when she died.
The report concluded that a cocktail of alcohol and drugs, including painkillers, caused her death. During the trial, the court also heard that Ibi was leading a double life as a secret alcoholic and spent most of her time on slot machines.
While living in a lavish mansion, which had its own pool and sauna, the couple reportedly spent most of their lives apart. After she died, Joseph uncovered more secrets about Ibi's life. In a safety deposit box, he discovered a note saying the couple had been scammed out of $180,000 (£140,000).
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He also found Ibi had managed to forge his name on bank documents and transfer their mansion into her name. Joseph claimed he only injected his wife with painkillers on the day she died to investigate her health, not to kill her.
He said he was trying to numb her arms so he could take some of her blood to test it because her health was rapidly declining. Martin Dionne, prosecuting, said he'd been acting oddly and drinking on the day of Ibi's death, according to CCTV footage.
Dionne told the court that instead of calling emergency services or trying to revive his wife, he called his bookkeeper and a real estate agent. When Judge Ferguson passed sentence at Joseph's trial, he said the crime "more resembles murder than an accidental killing". He added: "It was intentional, not spontaneous".
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