Saturday, April 21, 2012

San Jose, CA: Police: Man sets wife on fire, kills her on a San Jose street

A homeless man will likely face a murder charge after reportedly setting his wife on fire, killing her, on a San Jose street Monday, police said.

Patricia Storey, 64, was rushed to a hospital after officers and firefighters found her suffering from severe burns and lying in the street on the 100 block of South Second Street.

Storey was pronounced dead the next day, said police Sgt. Jason Dwyer.

Based on statements from witnesses and other evidence, detectives identified Storey's husband, 49-year-old Barton Williams, as the suspected killer.

Police got a warrant for his arrest and nabbed him Wednesday at St. James Park in San Jose, said Dwyer. The park is a couple blocks north of where she was found.

Dwyer said it's not clear what led to the violence, but because the victim and suspect were married, investigators are looking into whether it was the result of a domestic dispute. He wasn't sure if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the killing. Investigators didn't find any evidence of gunshot or knife wounds.

Police said that Storey and Williams are both transient.

Storey's killing is the ninth in San Jose for 2012, police said. Williams was booked on suspicion of homicide.

Anyone with information about the killing can contact Det. Sgt. Craig Storlie or Det. Sgt. Stewart Davies of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283.

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