UPTOWN — A man who allegedly set his new wife on fire in Uptown over the weekend was held without bond Tuesday, as the burned woman continues to fight for her life.
At 9:05 p.m. Sunday, James Roberts poured rubbing alcohol on his 60-year-old wife before setting her on fire with a lighter, police said.
Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said the couple had been arguing in a Jewel-Osco parking lot in the 4300 block of North Broadway in Uptown over $600 Roberts claimed the victim had stolen from him.
After he set his wife on fire, a witness ran over and attempted to smother the flames and remove some of the burning clothing, Antonietti said. The witness also grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol to get it away from Roberts, she said.
Roberts, 66, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and possession of marijuana, police said. A leafy green substance believed to be marijuana was found in Roberts' prosthetic leg, according to a police report.
The woman, who suffered third-degree burns, is listed in critical condition at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Antonietti said 40 percent of her body was burned, including her arms and face.
"It is not yet known if she will survive," she added.
She lives in Uptown, according to the office of Ald. James Cappleman (46th), whose ward includes most of the neighborhood.
Cappleman's chief of staff said Monday evening the office didn't have any more information about the "horrific domestic violence assault" and hadn't been updated about the woman's condition.
Cook County records indicate she married Roberts on Aug. 5.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Roberts — who has also been hospitalized for unknown reasons — held without bail. The judge called the attack "vicious."
The victim has lived at a building in Uptown for about a year, where there has been a history of altercations between the couple, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The source described the victim as a quiet, friendly woman who she "tried to keep encouraged and uplifted" throughout their interactions and told her "that she's a beautiful queen, that she deserves someone who would treat her like the queen she is."
Roberts, who uses a wheelchair and has a prosthetic leg but can walk for short spurts, did not live at the building with his wife, the employee said. Police listed the Pacific Garden Mission homeless shelter as his address when he was arrested.
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