Howard Stewart, 50, argued with his wife this past Sunday, and at some point during the night decided that he wanted to have the last word. Stewart's 12-year-old stepdaughter had allegedly accused him of inappropriate fondling, and this enraged the girl's mother, Christina Lee, 35. Later that night, the New Haven, Conn., resident doused his sleeping wife and stepdaughter with a flammable liquid.
The young girl, who was awakened by the smell of fluid all over her body, tried to escape as Stewart struck matches and threw them at her. Stewart grabbed, then pulled the youth back in to her room to douse her again with more fluid. He abruptly left the room and the quick-thinking youth ran to get her 3-month-old sister, who was asleep in her crib, then immediately fled the apartment.
Lee was set on fire and sustained burns on more than 40 percent of her body. Although the woman was severely injured and in excruciating pain, she was still able to get to a neighbor's apartment to scream for help. When police arrived, Lee told them that Stewart had burned her.
Police discovered Stewart walking on a nearby street with several match sticks in his pocket. Stewart was arrested and will face assault, arson and criminal mischief charges. His bond is set at $1 million.
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