Man Burns House Down To Punish Cheating Wife

Likes on a Facebook post led to a man to spray paint the words “My Wife is a Cheater” on the side of his house. He then proceeded to burn the house to the ground, killing the pet fish, Purple Pete, in the process.

As reported by KMGH, William Eugene Lindauer III, of Arvada, Colorado, appeared in court Wednesday, where his bond was set at $50,000. He’s being held on investigation of first-degree arson, five counts of reckless endangerment, prohibited use of weapons, cruelty to animals for the death of Purple Pete, and criminal mischief, jail records show.

Lindauer, 31, lived in the home at 6854 Nelson St., in Arvada. The house is considered a total loss.

Lindauer told police he thought his wife was having an affair because another man had started “liking” all her posts. He said he monitors his wife’s Facebook page and he confronted his wife, who didn’t confirm nor deny the affair.

When asked about the accusation, Bre Lindauer said William Lindauer had sent her a text message Monday “accusing her of cheating with an old high school friend.” She said she didn’t know who her husband was talking about, as she hadn’t spoken to or seen the friend in several years.

The couple had separated at the time of the arson. She said that Lindauer was “very upset” and that he was an alcoholic who “gets angry and punches holes in walls.”

She said her husband has repeatedly threatened suicide and said he could not survive if she left him.

As reported on KMGH, the wife said two weeks earlier that she had noticed a gun and all their cash was missing from a home safe. This is when she decided to take the children and move to her parents’ house. She felt that he was unstable and removed herself from the situation.

After accusing his wife of cheating, Lindauer said he went to Cabela’s sporting goods store and bought a.40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and ammunition. He later stopped at a liquor stored and purchased vodka and proceeded to drink himself into intoxication. Lindauer told police that he “put the gun on his hip and just walked around the house.” He kept text messaging and calling his wife until she stopped responding.

His wife said when Lindauer told her on the night that of the fire to keep the kids with her, “she knew he was going to do something but she didn’t know what.” He called about 8 p.m. to say goodnight to the children. He later sent her a couple text messages, but she didn’t reply.

Then she got a call from a neighbor about 1:30 a.m. that her house was on fire. Neighbors told police they were awakened by a loud blast and found the house engulfed in flames. Shattered glass from blown out windows and other debris had been blasted into the street. Another neighbor saw Lindauer get on his bike after the explosion. The neighbor tried to stop him, but Lindauer refused and rode away.

When police asked Lindauer why he set his house on fire, he said that he was “drunk and stupid” and “didn’t remember setting the house on fire.” He was found three miles away from the house on a bicycle. His hand was broken in several places. Lindauer had called 911 on himself after he sought help for his hand from his mother, but she wasn’t home.

Bre Lindauer issued a statement to KUSA.

“Because of the things that are being said… you should know we were married for 9 years,” Bre Lindauer’s statement reads. “We divorced briefly and remarried with the highest hopes and best intentions of making our marriage work.”

“While we are trying to deal with this tragedy we are asking for privacy at this time. At the core of this, the victims that matter are our 3 young children. We are trying to make sense of this but the knowledge that this was done at the hands of their father is really hard to comprehend. There have been many struggles in our marriage just like all marriages. Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. It’s unfortunate that he would do this based on assumptions from my Facebook friends.”

Bre Lindauer and the couple’s three children, who range in age from 3 to 9, were not at home when the house caught fire. A judge issued a protection order to Bre Lindauer, the couple’s children, and the wife’s high school Facebook friend.

Lindauer has no previous arrest history in the state, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation arrest database.

If he’s released from jail, the judge required him to wear a GPS monitor to track his movements. Need more Facebook fueled drama? Click here.

[Images: KMGH]