Poultney, VT: Vt. man to admit he killed former Cape woman

By Mary Ann Bragg
mbragg@capecodonline.com
February 08, 2010 8:03 AM
A Vermont man is expected to plead guilty to second-degree murder today in the November 2008 death of his girlfriend, former Cape psychic Linda Wiggin, who was allegedly beaten to death with a frying pan, according to the Rutland Herald.

At his arraignment Nov. 20, 2008 in Rutland District Court, David Denny pleaded not guilty to the charge of killing Wiggin, a part-time college English instructor, murder mystery writer and a psychic during her days on the Cape. Wiggin lived in Provincetown from the 1980s to around 2000 but was not well-known, acquaintances and longtime residents said.

She died in her Poultney, Vt., home sometime after a deafening, knock-down, drag-out fight with Denny on Nov. 10, 2008, according to police. A medical examiner's report showed Wiggin had been hit in the head four times and died from blunt trauma. Wiggin's arms were also cut, the Rutland Herald reported.

The change in plea expected today is part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, the Rutland Herald reported.

While living in Provincetown, Wiggin traveled with her partner Michael Torre to art fairs, craft shows and shops using a special $10,000 camera and Polaroid film for her psychic services. Wiggin was also a police dispatcher with the Provincetown Police Department during the summer of 1999, said then Provincetown police Staff Sgt. Warren Tobias.
Wiggin moved to Vermont with Torre, who later died.

Based on a missing person's report filed after the Nov. 10, 2008 fight, Vermont police began an investigation and executed a search warrant of Wiggin's home. About a week after the fight, police found her body in a basement storage area. Police took Denny into custody on an alleged probation violation, and later charged him in connection with Wiggin's death. A judge set bail at $750,000, the Rutland Herald reported.

Denny is currently being held in jail, and a Feb. 17 trial date had been set for the case, the Rutland Herald said.

Material from the Associated Press was used in the story.