STARK COUNTY Man admits burning wife with nitric acid

CANTON (AP) -- A man admitted to burning his estranged wife by spraying her with nitric acid because he "didn't want anyone else to be with her."
William F. Slabaugh, 68, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Stark County Common Pleas Court to kidnapping and felonious assault charges. He faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing in December.
Slabaugh researched the acid before ordering 500 milliliters from an online chemical supply company for $51. His package arrived July 9. The next day he used it to attack his wife, Becky, in the basement of their Lake Township home.
The Slabaughs had been married for more than 10 years, but were in the process of getting a divorce and she had stopped by to check on her belongings.
In a taped interview, Slabaugh told sheriff's deputies that he wanted to scar his wife.
"I just loved her too much," Slabaugh said. "I didn't want anyone else to be with her."
The attack left Becky Slabaugh, 48, with burns on more than 50 percent of her body. She and her two children filed a lawsuit against Slabaugh seeking $10 million in damages.