Prosecutors say fatal Argyle fire a plot for insurance money

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ARGYLE - State prosecutors said an Argyle man was so desperate to get out of his financial and marital problems, that he tried killing his family and burning their house for the insurance money. And he allegedly tried to push his two-year-old daughter back into the burning house after she escaped with her mother.

32-year-old Armin Wand III and his 18-year-old brother Jeremy are both due in Lafayette County Circuit Court this afternoon. They were charged yesterday with a total of 13 criminal counts for last Friday’s house fire that killed three of Armin Wand’s young children, and injured his wife and another child. Armin’s wife Sharon remains hospitalized in critical condition. His parents told the Wisconsin State Journal that Sharon lost a baby she was carrying for 17 weeks, but no charges were filed in that death. The parents also said authorities had it all wrong, and it’s possible that lightning may have caused the fire that destroyed Armin Wand’s house. But prosecutors said Wand was quote, “tired of his family struggling from day-to-day,” and he was sick of hearing his wife complain about a lack of money. Wand was also quoted as saying they were considering a divorce. And prosecutors said he committed the crimes to get a quote, “fresh start.”

The state said Wand tried to kill the family as they slept, and he allegedly enlisted Jeremy Wand to start fires in certain spots. Armin Wand is charged with three counts of homicide, a single count of arson, and three counts of attempted homicide – two for trying to kill his daughter twice. Jeremy Wand is charged with the same crimes, but he faces two attempted homicide counts instead of three. The state is handling the case because Lafayette County District Attorney Charlotte Doherty is retiring after this year.

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