Money Troubles Precede Fiery Death

"QUEENS, NY - A Queens man was apparently so despondent over his money troubles he murdered his wife and then set their apartment on fire - perishing in the blaze, police sources said.

"Yong Ho Kim, 52, and his wife, Sun He Kim, 45, died in their Oakland Gardens duplex before dawn, their charred corpses found sprawled near puddles of the accelerant used to fuel the flames, the sources said.

"Investigators believe Yong Ho Kim killed his spouse and then set the fire to the home. It was not immediately clear if he had planned to die or was overcome by choking smoke while trying to escape, the sources said.

"Detectives said the couple, owners of a nail salon in Long Beach, L.I., were deeply in debt, which may have prompted the murder-suicide.

"The early-morning quiet along 223rd Place was shattered by a deafening explosion at 6:30 a.m., and smoke immediately began to pour from the Kims' windows, witnesses said.

"Investigators believe Sun He Kim was already dead when the fire started, but it was not immediately known how she was killed."

Source: NY Daily News...