Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Pouring Vodka On Wife, Setting Fatal Fire

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

PITTSBURGH (AP) - A trial has begun for a man accused of having killed his estranged wife in a fire in western Pennsylvania.

Fifty-year-old James Karr is standing trial without a jury on charges including homicide and arson in the December 2014 death of 56-year-old Maureen Karr.

Authorities in Allegheny County allege that he knocked her unconscious, tied her up, poured vodka on her and set fire to the Duquesne home.

Days earlier, the victim had sought a protection-from-abuse order alleging that he had threatened to burn down her home. Police said he alluded to drastic action online.

At a preliminary hearing in 2015, a fire marshal said the victim's hands were bound with wire in the living room of her home.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)