Nicholas Grundman, a 47‑year‑old Wisconsin man, has been charged with trying to burn his estranged wife alive in the home they once shared, after she filed for divorce and told him to leave. He was arrested on charges including attempted first‑degree intentional homicide, arson, stalking, multiple counts of criminal damage to property, and carrying a concealed weapon.
Breakdown of the incident
- Grundman’s wife filed for divorce in February after about a year and a half of marriage, telling police he was a “full‑blown alcoholic” who struggled to hold a job, which contributed to their split.
- In January, after finding him unemployed and intoxicated, she told him to leave the house; she paid for him to stay in a hotel and then an Airbnb, but by mid‑March she lost track of where he was living.
- Around midnight on March 19, she woke up when one of her cats pawed at her face just as smoke filled the house and her attached garage was on fire. She escaped with her three cats and two dogs, and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze; her car and some of her son’s belongings were damaged.
Evidence and his alleged confession
- Investigators found accelerant at the scene, including a bottle of lighter fluid, and later matched evidence that pointed to Grundman.
- When police arrested him on March 31 at a construction site where he was working, he was carrying a loaded Ruger Security‑9 handgun that his wife said he had taken when he left.
- During questioning, Grundman said he “wasn’t technically there” but admitted he drove past her house that night, fell off the wagon, drank heavily, and had access to her garage. He eventually confessed that he used gasoline near the fridge and on the workbench, then set it on fire with a lighter, though he denied trying to kill her.
Current status
- Grundman is being held in the Outagamie County Jail on a $1 million cash bond, still facing charges of attempted murder, multiple arson counts, stalking, property damage, and illegal weapon possession.
- His next court appearance is scheduled for April 14, with the case unfolding amid clear evidence that he targeted his wife’s home while she was inside, in a context that police describe as fear‑driven stalking behavior.
