An estranged husband’s plan to electrocute his pregnant wife was foiled after the couple’s landlords in Florida discovered an odd message written in lipstick on a glass sliding door.
One comment stood out particularly. Michael Scott Wilson, 32, told his wife to “make sure you use the front door because the garage door is not going to open.” He also told her not to bring her daughter because he didn’t want her to get hurt.
When the homeowners went to the property, the found a message written in lipstick on the glass saying “Hi” with two eyes on top. When the couple spotted something behind the locked door, they called the police.
Deputies who responded to the home on White Hall Drive in Palm Coast, Florida., on Tuesday found the door barricaded and saw a burn mark on the handle. One of the deputies kicked the door in triggering a large spark. The deputies then found an elaborate trap meant to electrocute anyone who entered.
“This is one of the most bizarre domestic-violence cases I have seen in my career,” Sheriff Rick Staly told the Florida Times-Union. “Not only did this man plan to electrocute his wife, but he could have injured a deputy or any person attempting to enter this residence.”
An electrical expert who examined photos of the trap determined that anyone who inserted a key into the lock and touched the handle would close a circuit and had an 80 percent-100 percent chance of suffering death or serious bodily injury.
The trap appeared “to have been rigged so that when the house key was inserted into the top portion deadbolt locking mechanism by one hand and then grabbing a hold of the lower portion door handle with the other hand, an electrical closed circuit would be established,” the charging affidavit states.
Signs of trouble in the couple’s relationship emerged after the husband fell to the ground and suffered some health issue several months ago. His behavior changed after that, according to the statement Ashley Wilson provided to police. The husband was eventually sent to a mental health facility in November and the wife had not seen him since.
During this time, Ashley Wilson bought a gun and two home security cameras for her safety. She filed for divorce on Dec. 6, but on Dec. 21 Michael Wilson called to apologize. She agreed and invited him on a visit to her family for Christmas in Tennessee.
Ashley Wilson rented a hotel room for the husband and he arrived on Dec. 21, but disappeared suddenly on Dec. 23. While he was away she received a notification on her phone that her home cameras were disconnected from the internet.
Ashley Wilson also received several text messages from the suspect while he was away, blaming her for cheating on him. She convinced Michael Wilson to calm down and got him to return to Tennessee the next day.
When Michael Wilson came back, he made eerie comments about the home cameras and also spoke about the exact spot Ashley Wilson had hidden the firearm. These comments led her to call the owners of the home, who then called the police.
During a further inspection of the home, investigators found sonogram printouts laid out on a countertop, as well as some love letters and a photo album open to a picture of the Wilsons together on a bed.
A detective discovered on Wednesday that Michael Wilson had changed his Facebook status to “widowed.”
Authorities located Michael Wilson on Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and charged him with two counts of attempted aggravated battery on a pregnant person and one count of grand theft of a firearm. He is being held on $150,000 bail.
Michael Wilson had no prior criminal history.
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