A Wisconsin woman reportedly tried to set her husband on fire after she believed that he attempted to poison her chicken wings.
In the early hours of June 3, Tuhonsty Marie Smith allegedly set her husband on fire while he was sleeping in their home in the Enderis Park neighborhood of Milwaukee. Henry Williams woke up when he realized that his hair was on fire and attempted to put out the fire with his bare hands. The man rushed out of bed and went to his 3-month-old daughter’s bedroom, grabbed the baby, and sprinted out of the house.
Williams informed authorities that Smith was the only other person in the home when he was set on fire. He told police that Smith had been acting strangely for the last three or four months, according to the New York Post.
On June 2, Smith accused her husband of poisoning her chicken wings. As the old adage goes, hell hath no fury like a woman who had her chicken wings poisoned. The same day, the couple got into a spicy fight when Williams told his wife that he planned on leaving her and moving out of their home.
Without a wing and a prayer in saving the relationship, she reportedly set her husband on fire. Police say that around 4 a.m., Smith filled a cup with lighter fluid, poured it on his head, and used a lighter to ignite it.
Denise Wilson, the property owner where Williams and Smith lived, commented on the blazing altercation.
“Because I’ve known Henry since he was a kid, just heartbroken for him,” Wilson, who is a long-time family friend of Williams, told WDJT-TV. “The house is just a thing and that’s why you have insurance but as long as he’s going to be OK, that’s my main concern.”
“I’m just glad he was able to get the baby out and that he’s going to be ok,” Wilson said. “It’ll be a long road to recovery with his burns but ultimately he’ll be OK.”
Smith allegedly told officials that she has mental health issues and that she took some prescription medications around 2 a.m. the night of the fiery incident. She claims that she was not trying to kill her husband.
Smith, 29, is facing charges of arson of building mayhem, domestic abuse, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
Smith will make a court appearance later this month after her competency evaluation is complete.
