It has been discovered that a woman has been charged with murdering her retired deputy sheriff husband and burning his naked body on their back porch.
Evelyn Zigerelli-Henderson, 66, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated arson, and arson after detectives discovered the husband’s body at their home in the Pennsylvania suburb of Susquehanna, 40 miles north of Scranton, on Thursday.
When officers discovered the heavily charred body of 84-year-old Carmen Henderson at around 5 a.m., they discovered fly larvae in the former Dauphin County chief deputy sheriff’s nose and mouth, indicating he had been dead for some time.
According to a probable cause affidavit, law enforcement discovered the ex-savaged cop’s body after Zigerelli-Henderson, a former political candidate and county politician, contacted 911 to report that her husband had set himself on fire.
During the late-night conversation, the dispatcher took notes, according to authorities, writing: ‘something is very off with the caller. She is hesitant to answer questions.’
Officers also stated that Henderson, who initially stated that she discovered her husband’s body at 1 a.m., was unable to explain why she waited four hours to call 911 to report his death and altered her account many times while being questioned.
Cops said it was unclear when the former officer died and that no cause of death had been released.
Officers arrived at the residence on 306 Stuart Place to discover Henderson severely burned and naked on the couple’s back patio, according to the warrant for Zigerelli-Henderson.
However, after being questioned by detectives, Zigerelli-narrative Henderson’s about finding her husband’s burned remains began to shift.
According to investigators, the wife initially claimed it was a suicide, but when pressed further, she allegedly changed her story to say her husband had accidently set himself on fire while smoking a cigar on the porch.
Officers discovered Zigerelli-Henderson telling the dispatcher during the 911 call that she heard her spouse scream about 1:00 a.m., which appeared to be a lie.
According to authorities, Zigerelli-Henderson, a former local politician who worked as the court clerk for neighbouring Beaver County and in the state auditor general’s office in the 1980s, acknowledged to delaying her 911 call but couldn’t explain why.