Man set his wife's house on fire with her inside after she kicked him out and filed for divorce: Police

A Wisconsin antheral whose woman filed for divorce and told him to permission their location allegedly tried to pain his estranged spouse alive.

Nicholas Grundman, 47, was charged with attempted murder, arson, stalking, and different charges aft constabulary said helium tried to acceptable his estranged wife's location connected fire portion she was inside. According to a transgression ailment reviewed by Law&Crime, Grundman's woman filed for divorcement successful February aft being joined for astir a twelvemonth and a half. Police said she told them Grundman was a "full-blown alcoholic" who could not clasp down a job, a concern that caused problems successful their marriage.

In January, aft the pistillate came location to find a recently unemployed and intoxicated Grundman, she told him to leave.

Police said conscionable aft midnight connected March 19, a 911 telephone was placed reporting a occurrence astatine a residence connected Fawn Ridge Court successful Greenville, Wisconsin. The caller, aboriginal identified arsenic Grundman's wife, said her attached store was connected fire. She was the lone idiosyncratic successful the location and was capable to flight safely with her 3 cats and 2 dogs. She aboriginal told constabulary that she had been accelerated dormant erstwhile 1 of her cats started "pawing astatine her face" and woke her up. "Within seconds," she told police, "my location was afloat of smoke."

After realizing the occurrence was successful the garage, Grundman's woman was capable to enactment retired the occurrence with an extinguisher. Her car was damaged arsenic good arsenic idiosyncratic items that belonged to her son.

According to the complaint, Grundman's woman spoke to constabulary days aboriginal astir her concern with Grundman. She said that aft telling him to permission the house, she paid for him to enactment astatine a edifice archetypal and past an Airbnb. He yet near the Airbnb and she mislaid way of wherever helium was staying successful the mediate of March. However, helium past started to substance and telephone her "almost to the constituent of harassment," allegedly each 30 minutes passim the night.

On the time of the fire, Grundman's woman called him to archer him to halt contacting her. He allegedly told her, "If I can't person you, nary 1 is going to person you." He past hung up connected her.

Police asked Grundman's woman if she was fearful of her estranged husband, and she replied, "Absolutely."

Investigators said they recovered accelerant astatine the country of the occurrence arsenic good arsenic a vessel of lighter fluid.

On March 31, constabulary went to a operation tract wherever Grundman was moving and placed him nether arrest. He was allegedly carrying a backpack with a loaded Ruger Security-9 handgun that his woman said helium had taken with him erstwhile she kicked him retired of the house. When constabulary asked him if helium had been astatine the house, helium said, "I wasn't technically there, but I was being stupid." He explained that portion helium did not spell successful the house, helium regularly drove past the location to spot if his woman was having idiosyncratic over.

Grundman told constabulary that March 18, the nighttime the occurrence was allegedly set, was 1 of his "driving astir days." Police noted successful the ailment that during this enactment of questioning, Grundman's dependable began to "shake." Grundman told constabulary that helium "fell disconnected the wagon" that nighttime and drank "two 30 packs" of brew earlier driving past his wife's house.

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When constabulary asked Grundman if helium inactive had entree to his wife's garage, helium "put his caput down" and answered, "Yes, sir." He past admitted that helium accessed the store connected the nighttime of the fire. After constabulary told him that further investigating would uncover impervious that an accelerant was used, Grundman allegedly confessed that helium "used gasoline" and "put a small spot adjacent to the fridge." He allegedly dumped much gasoline connected the workbench successful the store past acceptable it connected occurrence with a lighter.

Grundman denied that helium tried to termination his estranged wife.

Grundman was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, 2 counts of arson, stalking, 3 counts of transgression harm to a property, and carrying a concealed weapon. He is presently successful custody astatine the Outagamie County Jail, wherever helium is being held connected $1 cardinal currency bond. His adjacent tribunal quality is scheduled for April 14.