Man to stand trial in death of estranged wife in Duquesne

Allegheny County Deputy Fire Marshal George E. Stouffer used a piece of wood to scrape charred debris from Maureen Karr's body hours after a fire tore through her house in Duquesne.

Stouffer told an Allegheny County judge that he noticed Karr's hands were burned and bound with wire in the living room of her Friendship Street home.

Her family in the courtroom wept when Stouffer described how the former UPMC receptionist's feet also were bound.

“I removed enough to know it was a human victim,” Stouffer said Friday at the preliminary hearing for James Karr, 46, Maureen Karr's estranged husband, who is accused of dousing her with vodka and starting the fire Dec. 30.

James Karr has been held without bond in the Allegheny County Jail since his arrest later that day.

Brookline District Judge Jim Motznik ordered James Karr to stand trial on nine charges, including homicide, arson and cruelty to animals. Two of Karr's three dogs died in the fire.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said she died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, and had third- and fourth-degree burns on 95 percent of her body. Investigators later determined the fire began in the middle of the room and ruled out the possibility of an accident.

Allegheny County Detective Steven Hitchings said James Karr initially denied any knowledge of the fire, but during an interview he said he had been out drinking and smoking crack cocaine and decided to talk to his estranged wife, who days earlier obtained a temporary protection-from-abuse order against him.

Hitchings said James Karr told him Maureen Karr became enraged and grabbed an ax when he arrived. He pushed her to defend himself, and she fell to the floor.

Karr told detectives he dragged his wife into the living room, bound her hands with crafting wire, poured vodka on her and lit her on fire in an attempt to cover up what he described as “the accident.”

James Karr's lawyer, public defender Lisa Middleman, argued that her client should not stand trial for the cruelty to animals charges, but Motznik said Assistant District Attorney Michael Sullivan met his burden of proof.

James Karr's formal arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 24.

Adam Brandolph is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-391-0927.