Friday, May 21, 2010
Wife Charged With Attempted Murder Of Husband And Girlfriend
A Summertown woman was arrested on attempted 
murder charges in the early hours Friday after allegedly setting fire to her bed with her husband and his girlfriend in it.
Emergency personnel were dispatched on a fire call to the 3632 Buffalo Road home shortly after 2:00 a.m. When they arrived, they report the front porch of the home was completely engulfed in flames. A female resident was attempting to extinguish the fire at the time.
According to reports filed by Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies, residents Robert Wayne Finerty, 28, and wife Crystal Allison Finerty, 24, reside at the residence. In addition, Crystal Finerty’s friend Alissa Renee Young, age 19, has been living at the home for the past four months, while on probation.
On Wednesday, Robert Finerty said he told his wife he wanted a divorce, explaining that Young was now his girlfriend. He indicated that Crystal Finerty went to stay with her sister at that time, but that she texted them Thursday evening, saying that she would not leave “without a fight” and that she was back at the house.
When they returned to the home, Roberty Finerty and Young reported they found Crystal Finerty had been drinking and had passed out. Around 9:30 p.m., they report that Crystal’s parents stopped by to discuss the divorce situation with them and check on their daughter. After they left, Robert and Young said they went to bed without waking Crystal Finerty. They said she then awakened them around 2:00 a.m.
The two reported that Crystal Finerty was making threatening statements. She reportedly argued with Young, telling her she was not going to sleep with her husband in her bed. She then used a lighter to set the mattress afire.
Robert Finerty told deputies he used his cell phone to video as his wife lighted the mattress. While he was extinguishing the small fire, he said his wife went to the couch in the living room and set Young’s clothes on fire. While he was extinguishing that blaze, he said his wife went onto the porch where she set two mattresses on fire.
When Robert Finerty and Young saw that the porch had caught fire, they said they exited the home and ran to the neighbor’s yard where they placed a 911 call to summon assistance. Members of the Henryville, Ethridge and Summertown Fire Departments were dispatched to the scene. Reports show that they extinguished the fire while Crystal Finerty continued her efforts to put out the flames, as well.
When they interviewed Crystal Finerty about the incident, deputies report she admitted setting the three fires. She was subsequently placed under arrest on charges of setting fire to personal property, arson, aggravated arson, and two counts of attempted first degree murder. She is slated to answer the charges through Lawrence County General Sessions Court on June 7, 2010.
Although damages to the home were estimated to total only $170, reports indicate that a 2006 GMC truck sustained an estimated $5,000 worth of damages as a result of the fire.
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