The home on Matthew Drive in Conewago Township, Pennsylvania, where authorities say the attack occurred (WGAL/YouTube).
A Pennsylvania woman’s pending divorce from her husband and sale of their home caused him so much fury that he beat, strangled, and tried to set her on fire, authorities say.
Eric Dale Smith, 61, faces multiple charges, including criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated arson causing bodily injury, and strangulation, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. He is in the York County Jail and being held on $200,000 bail.
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On July 15, Smith and his wife were at their home on the 1000 block of Matthew Drive in Conewago Township, Pennsylvania. The woman was divorcing the defendant, and she was planning to move to Florida that very day.
They had agreed to split the money they were making from selling their home, which was in the wife’s name, per an affidavit cited by area NBC affiliate WGAL. Of the $22,000 payout, the defendant would get $11,850, a fact that apparently infuriated him.
Smith started yelling and cursing and went in the downstairs area of the home, according to the woman, who said she then smelled smoke and saw it rising. She confronted her soon-to-be-ex-husband, and he allegedly responded, “So what, I don’t care.”
The defendant reportedly punched his wife in the head and face, sending her to the floor. The affidavit said he then stood over her and continued punching before placing his hands around her throat and squeezing “as hard as he could.”
The woman said she couldn’t breathe for about a minute until she bent one of his thumbs backward. However, Smith allegedly wasn’t done.
He dragged her down a hallway toward the fire, pulled her through a doorway, and threw her onto the floor, according to police. The woman said he tried to close the door but could not because her body was blocking it. Smith then left her in the smoke-filled room, authorities said.
The woman managed to escape and run to a neighbor’s home, where they called 911. She had swelling and bruising around her forehead, eye and neck area.
Authorities — including the Pennsylvania State Police — responded to the home, and investigators determined that the fire was started with paint thinner, WGAL reported. Smith was arrested.
The defendant had a preliminary hearing on Friday and is due back in court on Aug. 14.
The post Moving day for wife divorcing her husband ends with her being strangled and dragged toward a raging fire, cops say first appeared on Law & Crime.
