RICHARD SHENKMAN, 60, AND HIS EX-WIFE NANCY TYLER were supposed to meet in Superior Court in Hartford, Connecticut, yesterday where he was scheduled to sign over the papers to the couple’s house in perfomance of their divorce decree.
Instead, Shenkman waited outside Tyler’s workplace until she came out on her way to the hearing where he grabbed her and forced her to go with him. He drove to the house and held her hostage inside while he began a standoff with the police. During that time he would occasionally fire off some rounds from a gun. Around 8:30 pm Nancy escaped his custody and fled, with a set of handcuffs dangling from one arm, out of the house into safety.
Shortly after 9:45 pm he set fire to the house while continuing to hold the police at bay. After he moved down into the basement the fire became too uncomfortable and Shenkman came out and gave himself up while the house was in full blaze.
WTNH-TV Ch. 8 gave a good video report this morning that encapsulates the incident along with some fire footage:
The Hartford Courant has a full, detailed REPORT HERE.
Shenkman was well-practiced in the arson trick. Two years ago when he was supposed to sign over the estranged couple’s large beach home to Tyler, he allegedly burned it down, too.
This TV report on the first fire was filed before the facts of the arson came out a month later:
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