Who is Tuhonsty Smith? Wisconsin woman sets husband afire over 'poisoned' chicken wings
Warning: Graphic content
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Tuhonsty Marie Smith, 29, admitted to having set her sleeping husband on fire. The Milwaukee woman was arrested on charges of arson, recklessly endangering safety, and causing mayhem. She committed the crime believing her husband had tried to poison her chicken wings, police said. Smith confessed to authorities about having carefully planned the incident. She said she had waited for her husband to fall asleep. She then set his head on fire at their home in the Enderis Park neighborhood. The incident happened on June 2 and earlier in the day Smith had suspected her husband conspired to kill her by attempting to poison her.
Last year, a Milwaukee man had set his 23-year-old wife Savannah Bailey on fire on Valentine's Day while forcing his toddler daughters to stand outside the house in -18F temperatures. They stood outside without proper shoes or clothing as their father went ahead to douse his wife in gasoline and eventually set her on fire. A similar incident from recent times took place in Florida in April where Shakeemah Jackson tried to set his ex and his house on fire four days after their breakup. In custody, she allegedly told cops, "I wish he would die. I wish he was dead."
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Who is Tuhonsty Marie Smith?
Crime in the city of Milwaukee has seen an uptick and just last month rapper Fatboy Gwalla Gwalla was found dead in a burning car. Tuhonsty Marie Smith was arrested from her home in the middle of the night on June 2. Police were called to her home for a domestic violence incident and in a criminal complaint filed by her unidentified husband, he claimed that their relationship had been in a downward spiral for the past couple of months. He claimed to have noticed Smith using spray paint in their basement and said he wasn't sure if she was huffing it.
The victim's complaint also claimed Smith's pill bottles were lying in the basement as well and he believed she had taken more of her medication than she was prescribed. He returned home on the afternoon of June 2 to find Smith "pacing around the house." The two had a conversation where the victim declared he was moving out and an argument ensued at that point.
The victim went to bed after the argument and around 4 am the next day, Marie filled a cup with lighter fluid. She emptied the contents of the cup on her husband's head and then used a lighter to ignite it, according to the police. Emergency responders arrived at the house and the victim was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. He suffered second and third-degree burns on his chest, head, ears, hands, neck, and face.
The husband in his statement to authorities said Smith had been acting strangely for the past three or four months. Smith on the other hand claimed her intention was never to kill her husband. She was produced in court and was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation. Smith is due back in court later this month.