$724,299 Home Burned During Divorce
In order to keep his wife from getting the marital home in their divorce, Gary Hooley came up with a plan. He allegedly burned the house, worth almost three-quarters of a million dollars, to the ground.
Hooley’s wife, Michelle, said that he had previously told her that he would take the house apart “brick by brick” if he had to, to keep her from getting it in the divorce settlement.
In the fire, which Hooley allegedly set while he was drunk, the home was gutted and all of the belongings inside were burnt up.
Michelle Hooley owned the home before she married Gary Hooley. The house was in her name and she paid the mortgage and the insurance. Apparently during their brief marriage, Gary Hooley had done extensive renovations on the home.
After the fire, police found Hooley nearby and arrested him. Although he had been drinking heavily, he denied setting the fire that destroyed the house.
