Estranged husband charged in fatal fire that killed Duquesne woman
Maureen Karr's estranged husband twice threatened to burn down her Duquesne house in fits of drunken rage.
On Tuesday police said he followed through, binding her hands behind her back with green floral wire and a bungee cord before torching the home the two once shared.
Allegheny County police charged James Karr, 46, with homicide and arson Tuesday stemming from the early-morning fire that killed her. Fire officials found Maureen Karr, 56, a UPMC receptionist, in the first floor of the house about 4:30 a.m., about four hours after the fire started, police said.
Maureen Karr was in the process of seeking a long-term protection-from-abuse order against her estranged husband.
She obtained a temporary order this month after he slashed her tires and threatened “to set the house on fire,” according to her petition.
A final hearing on the petition was scheduled Monday, but Allegheny County Family Court Administrator Patrick Quinn said it was postponed until Jan. 7 because James Karr had a “medical event” at the family court center prior to the hearing. He said he was having a seizure, prompting sheriff's deputies to call medics, said Lt. Jack Kearney of the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office.
“The medics came, but he signed paperwork refusing treatment,” Kearney said. “He said he was going to go to the hospital or his own doctor and left.”
Quinn said the preliminary PFA order, with all the same conditions, was extended until the Jan. 7 hearing.
According to the affidavit police filed to support the charges:
James Karr told police the two argued after he entered the home and his wife came at him with an ax. He pushed her and she fell down, striking her head. When she was unconscious, he bound her hands and poured vodka on her and in a trail to the front door before lighting it.
The Medical Examiner's Office said she died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Karr had been living with his mother in South Park since the PFA barred him from the couple's house. An unidentified person picked him up from his mother's home at 5:30 p.m. and the two went bar-hopping in Duquesne for a few hours. They ended up at a mutual friend's home later and Karr abruptly left about 8:45 p.m. He showed up at 12:07 a.m. at the unidentified person's residence asking for a ride back to his mother's house..
About 10 minutes later, a neighbor saw smoke coming from the Karr house and phoned James Karr on his cell to alert him. He gave a “nonchalant” response, telling the neighbor he no longer lived there and that his wife was probably not home.
Police said James Karr had a history of domestic violence with his wife. In 2011, Maureen Karr called police after her husband threw her down the stairs and went into the basement with lighter fluid, threatening to light the house on fire. Once under arrest, he told police he could “make himself have a seizure” by banging his head in the patrol car.
In the days leading up to his PFA hearing scheduled for Monday, James Karr made Facebook postings mentioning suicide due to the “loss” of his wife. On Sunday, he posted, “Facebook friend it's no use going to court tomorrow I'm not going to get my wife back so I guess my eyes will take my life now that's why I'm doing goodbye I hope somebody shows up at my funeral.”
Two weeks ago, Duquesne police charged him with a summary count of public drunkenness stemming from the Dec. 12 incident his wife described in the petition for the PFA. He was scheduled for a hearing on the charge Jan. 21. He has a long history of trouble, according to court records:
• In 2011, Duquesne police charged him with simple assault and resisting arrest in connection with the attack on his wife. Those charges were withdrawn, although it's unclear why.
• In 2006, Duquesne police charged him with theft and making false reports to police. A magistrate dismissed the charges.
• In 2003, Clairton police charged him with drunken driving, fleeing police and other charges. He pleaded guilty, and Judge Kathleen Durkin sentenced him to up to seven days in jail and nearly two years of probation.
• In 1993, he pleaded guilty to theft by deception and related charges, and was sentenced to five years of probation.
• In 1991, Karr was charged with arson, causing a catastrophe and criminal mischief. Those charges were withdrawn. Details were not available.
Flames swept through the brick home on Friendship Street about 1 a.m. and neighbors said they could feel the intense heat from across the road.
Doreen Collins, 50, lives down the street from the burned home. She said Maureen Karr was her closest friend.
“She didn't deserve to die,” Collins said through tears.
Karr worked as a receptionist at the University of Pittsburgh Physician Mercy Obstetrics/Gynecology practice in West Mifflin, said Gloria A. Kreps, a UPMC spokeswoman. Kreps declined further comment.
Karr also was a caregiver for Collins' daughter, Brandi, who has special needs.
After work, “She wouldn't even go home,” Collins said. “She'd come straight here” to care for Brandi. Karr had two adult stepchildren, Collins said.
Karr enjoyed shopping and sewing, and often went to craft shows with Collins.
“I don't know what I'm going to do without her,” Collins said.
Chris Lion, one of Maureen Karr's sisters, said her family didn't wish to comment.
Frances Kinner, 58, lives across the street from Karr's home. Her boyfriend, Rick Kramer, 63, told her to call 911 when he saw smoke billowing from the home.
The heat was so intense, “I felt it on my screen door,” Kinner said.
Two firefighters were hurt fighting the fire. One was taken to a hospital with an injured back, and another suffered what Duquesne fire officials described as a minor leg injury but did not go to a hospital.
Trib Total Media staff writer Patrick Cloonan contributed.
