Friday, November 20, 2009

A Florida man accused of setting his estranged wife on fire has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Christopher Hanney was booked into a Hillsborough County jail on Wednesday night. A Hillsborough Circuit judge ordered the 44-year-old Hanney be held without bail on Thursday. Another hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. His wife remains hospitalized in critical condition.

According to a news release, Hanney, of Apollo Beach, doused his wife in a flammable liquid, hit her on the head with a hammer and set her on fire. The woman ran from her home to a neighbor's house and said that her husband had set the fire.

Both Hanney and his wife were taken to hospitals for burn treatment.