Man Charged With Setting Wife On Fire

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A senior citizen who uses a wheelchair was ordered held without bond Tuesday for allegedly setting his wife on fire after he accused her of stealing his money, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

James Roberts' wife suffered third-degree burns to her 40 percent of the top half of her body, including her arms and face, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said.

The woman, 60, has been sedated because of her injuries and it is not known if she will survive, Antonietti said.

Roberts, 66, did not appear in court Tuesday because he also has been hospitalized due to "cardiac issues," a Chicago police officer told Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.

Roberts was arguing with his wife in an Uptown parking lot Sunday night when he "became irate" and threw rubbing alcohol over her, then set her body on fire with a lighter, according to a police report.

Roberts was angry at his wife because he had thought she had taken $600 from him, Antonietti said.

A witness who saw the couple quarrelling in the Jewel parking lot tried smothering the flames and removed some of the woman's burning clothes, Antonietti said. The witness also threw the rubbing alcohol from the scene, in the 4300 block of North Broadway, Antonietti said.

Officers recovered a lighter at the scene.

Police also found two lighters in Roberts' pockets, Antonietti said.

During the search, officers also discovered a small plastic bag containing a substance thought to be cannabis in Roberts' prosthetic leg, according to police.

Bourgeois called the attack "vicious."

Roberts has a 2003 conviction for assault and a 2013 battery conviction.

He also has prior harassment and assault convictions from New York, Antonietti said.

Roberts, who lists his home address as the Pacific Garden Mission in the 1400 block of South Canal, is facing attempted murder and aggravated battery charges. He was also charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)