Police say: Westerlo man, threatening suicide, stabs himself and sets fire to home
— Photo from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office
A chilling morning: A Westerlo man stabbed himself repeatedly inside his home on Lake Road after making suicide threats to his wife, police say.
WESTERLO — Following an argument with his wife, a Westerlo man stabbed himself multiple times in the stomach and neck before setting his house on fire with gunpowder on Thursday morning, police say.
James Malphrus, 64, had been arguing about financial issues with his wife at their home on 167 Lake Road in Westerlo when he started making suicidal threats and stabbed himself, according to Albany County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy William Rice. The wife called 9-1-1 at 8:13 a.m., and the first unit of police arrived at 8:26 a.m., Rice said.
Police then began trying to set up communication with Malphrus, and got his wife out of the house, said Rice. Only the couple was inside the house, he said.
His wife told police that Malphrus had barricaded himself inside and had access to multiple long rifles, a release from the sheriff’s office said.
Rice said that Malphrus had poured gunpowder down the length of the hallway in his home and lit it, causing damage to the floor of his home and lighting his bed on fire. The town’s assessment rolls report that the home has a full market value of $102,041. The fire was put out by the Westerlo Volunteer Fire Company.
The sheriff’s office reported seeing Malphrus briefly, and believed he was unarmed, and so a team was formed to enter the building, the release states. Rice said that Malphrus walked out of the front door as the sheriff’s deputies approached the building, likely driven out by the smoke from the fire, he said.
Malphrus was taken into custody and brought to Albany Medical Center for treatment for his injuries; Rice said the injuries were not life-threatening.
Rice said Malphrus would be arraigned in Westerlo Town Court upon release from the hospital, and that an order of protection was made for the wife. He said that arson charges are currently pending, but it will be up to the town justice to determine if Malphrus will be sent to jail with or without bail. The investigation is ongoing.
The Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Unit was also at the scene, as well as the New York State Police, the Sheriff’s Emergency Medical Services unit, and the Westerlo Volunteer Rescue Squad.
