Man Pleads Guilty in Burning Death of Wife; Incident Followed TV Show
A man accused of setting his wife on fire after watching a television movie about the burning of an abusive spouse pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder.
Joseph Brandt, 40, will be sentenced Aug. 1 by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John E. McCormick. Brandt faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Brandt had been scheduled to go on trial Monday. He was accused of dousing his wife, Sharon, 37, with gasoline and then setting her ablaze last October after watching the movie “The Burning Bed.” She died a week later.
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