A Canadian woman who won a multi-million-dollar lottery jackpot was killed by her husband after she secretly gave a large sum of money to a son whose existence he knew nothing about.
Lottery win and secret gifts
Ibi Roncaioli was 54 when she won $7.4 million in a Canadian lottery draw with a friend, with whom she split the prize. Left with $5 million, Ibi decided to spend her winnings on her family - a decision that would eventually cost her everything.
Ibi kept much of her spending hidden from her husband, gynaecologist Dr Joseph Roncaioli. She did not tell him, for example, that she had given roughly $590,000 to a son they had together, and about the same amount to a son from a different father who lived with them.
Lastly, she chose to give $1.4 million to a third son, whose existence was a secret known to no one, not even the other two children.
Discovery and fatal argument
Things took a turn for the worse when Joseph eventually found out the truth about where the money had gone. After a bitter argument led by jealousy and confusion, Joseph poisoned Ibi by injecting her with painkillers, causing her death.
When the case was taken to court, the prosecutor accused Joseph of drinking and behaving strangely on the day he injected his wife with the painkillers, and of not calling for help for her. Instead of calling the police or for help, after poisoning his wife, Joseph called his bookkeeper and a real estate agent. Prosecutors argued he had been angry that Ibi spent money too freely, failing to save enough to secure the couple's retirement.
Trial and conviction
Additionally, his defence claimed the woman struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, which would, according to him, have been an “intervening cause” of her death. An autopsy found needle marks across her legs and feet, along with six ounces of alcohol in her blood.
It was then revealed that Ibi led a largely secretive life, and the couple lived separate lives within the same mansion, with Ibi spending much of her time away at slot machines.
Joseph was convicted of manslaughter in 2008. During sentencing, the presiding judge, Justice Ferguson, told the court the crime “more resembles murder than an accidental killing,” adding: “It was intentional, not spontaneous.”
