People v. Rhoads

Defendant David Rhoads was accused of killing his wife Vickie, and he was convicted upon retrial (see People v. Rhoads (1979), 73 Ill. App. 3d 288), of murder (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 9 — 1(a)) and arson (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 20 — 1) after a trial by jury.

The crucial issue of fact at trial was whether defendant (who admitted that he tied up his wife and soaked her with gasoline while he was high on L.S.D.) acted with criminal intent when he started the fire that killed her, or whether, as he claimed, it was just an accident. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and…