"Rochester, WA - A Rochester man tried to murder the woman he lived with early Friday morning by lighting a Littlerock Road home on fire and holding her down in the bedroom, court papers state."When the woman tried to flee and put the fire out, he struck her from behind several times with a golf club, according to court papers.
"The home in the 16000 block of Littlerock Road burned to the ground in the apparent attempted murder-suicide, Thurston County deputy prosecuting attorney Jennifer Lord said.
"The woman suffered a bruised back and serious burns to both of her hands, Lord said. The man she lived with as a roommate, Rodney Glenn Anthony, 45, was ordered held at the Thurston County Jail on Friday with bail set at $1 million.
"It was the second time this week that a Thurston County man was arrested on suspicion of trying to kill a woman in her home in an alleged domestic-violence incident. On July 23, a man tried to kill his estranged wife after sneaking in and hiding in the closet of her home in the Johnson Point Road area near Olympia.
"`It’s alarming to have two in one week,` Lord said outside court.
"Deputies arrived at the home after midnight Friday to find the home engulfed in flames. The woman who lived there said she had gone to sleep in her bedroom but awoke to find Anthony lying beside her, holding her arms tight against her body in what she called a `death grip.` She said she could smell smoke and hear smoke alarms going off as he told her, `We’re just going to lie here together and don’t worry.`
"She said she managed to get off the bed and went to the living room. Her computer desk had been lit on fire, and there was a gas can next to the desk. She said that as she tried to put the fire out, he struck her in the back with a golf club. She said he then tried to choke her. She later went onto the porch, but Anthony followed her and said, `I’m going to kill you and you can fight it if you want,` she said. He also told her, `My life is over; I’m going to end it all,` she said.
"The woman said Rodney didn’t show any emotions while he was assaulting her.
"All of the woman’s personal belongings were destroyed, including a car parked in the garage.
"Anthony fled in a vehicle that belongs to the woman after she escaped from the home. The woman was screaming and crying when she was approached by deputies outside, and she told them, `I can’t believe he did this; he tried to kill me.`
"She later said Anthony wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with her, but she refused. She said she `never saw any signs that Rodney would harm her.`"
From The Olympian...
Thank you for having this blog. This story, the first one I checked, helps to confirm my theory: that when men are the perpetrator they call it domestic violence, even if there is no prior violence or arguing. I know of two recent cases of women committing murder-suicide and they refuse to call either one dv.
ReplyDelete