***MEDIA ADVISORY***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2014

JURY CONVICTS ELKHART MAN WHO ATTEMPTED TO LIGHT HIS WIFE ON FIRE

Media Contact: Curtis T. Hill, Jr. (574) 296-1888

On Thursday, March 13, 2014, a twelve member jury convicted Larry Haines, Sr., 47, of Elkhart, Indiana, in four of five counts charged against him in Elkhart Superior Court 2. The charges consisted of two counts of Class A felony Burglary, Class A felony Attempted Arson, Class C felony Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon, and Class C felony Battery with a Deadly Weapon. The charges stemmed from an incident that took place May 16, 2013, when Haines broke into the Best Avenue trailer home of his wife from whom he has been separated since 2009.

At trial, Jeanie Haines testified that Larry Haines, Sr., kicked in her door, spraying lighter fluid throughout her trailer and attempting to click the switch of a hand-held propane torch. After entering, Haines, Sr. turned his attention to Mrs. Haines, cornering her in her bedroom and dousing her body and nightgown in the same lighter fluid. While he clicked the torch, she observed sparks coming from the end of it and heard him say "See how easy it is for me to kill you." She managed to break free from Haines, Sr., and run out of the trailer to seek assistance from available neighbors. When she realized her immediate neighbors were not home, Jeanie continued on across Mishawaka Road to a friend on Woodrow Street who called 9-1-1.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Katelan Doyle and Nathaniel Henson tried the case against Haines, focusing on independent witness corroboration that supported Mrs. Haines' account. Everyone who encountered her noticed the distinct smell of lighter fluid. In addition, Mrs. Haines sustained several injuries from the incident, including multiple bruises from the struggle, and chemical burn to her chest from exposure to the lighter fluid.

In addition to the evidence presented to the jurors from the night of the incident, the State also introduced evidence of handwritten letters and a jail phone call recording wherein Haines, Sr. threatened witnesses to testify on his behalf to create an alibi defense. When characterized by his defense attorney as the work of a "desperate man" with a lot to lose, the State argued that it was indeed an act of desperation, but to "cover his tracks."

Based on the various charges, Haines, Sr. faces a sentence of up to 108 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for April 14, 2014 at 8:30 AM.

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“Under Indiana law, all persons arrested for a criminal offense are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”