If I can't have it, nobody will

March 5, 2007, a landmark home in East Lyme CT burned to the ground. This past week, owner Richard Shenkman of S Windsor CT was arrested in connection with that fire. Shenkman, 58 and the owner of a Bloomfield CT advertising firm is charged with first degree arson and first degree reckless endangerment.

The fire broke out before 5 am that morning and Shenkman, the only occupent at the time managed to climb out of the house and onto a porch roof with his two dogs and escaped the flames. Neighbors helped them off the roof to safety before the fire department had arrived. One police officer was injured during the rescue, the neighboring house was damaged and if the winds had been slightly different that morning, much of the neighborhood would have burned as well.

Shenkman was taken into custody outside the law office where he was schedualed to attend a deposition regarding his upcoming divorce. It seems that there had been an order to vacate the East Lyme home the morning of March 5th and it is believed that Shenkman started the fire to prevent his wife from taking control of the property.
Now I have to wonder....... there is some logic to thinking "if I can't have it, she can't either" but when you plan on torching a home for that reason, I would suggest leaving the premises before the flames force you and your dogs onto a roof. It also might be a better choice to burn it down sometime long before it is supposed to change hands, not two hours beforehand, just to lead suspicion away from you are the perpetrator.

And what is left of the 115 year old Victorian home that was the center of this dispute?

"It has been transformed into a dirt basement" according to East Lyme Public Safety and Fire Marshal Richard Morris

I think we will have to wait a bit to see who really has the last laugh.