Thursday, November 30, 2006
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Charges against the man authorities say blew up his East Side home in an apparent suicide attempt could be filed as early as Friday, Police Chief Tom Sansone said.
Patrick Henry, 30, was upgraded Tuesday to serious condition in Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. Police contend Henry disconnected his Franklin Avenue home’s gas line in an effort to kill himself by breathing natural gas.
The subsequent explosion damaged more than 20 homes in the surrounding area.
Sansone said officers were headed Thursday morning to Pittsburgh to talk to Henry about events leading up to the explosion Monday at his Franklin Avenue home. The chief said charges could be affected by any statements made by Henry, and the condition of Sophia Baker — the person most seriously injured by the blast that ripped through the neighborhood.
Baker, 21, remains in Pittsburgh’s West Penn Hospital. Her family has asked no information be released on her condition. Her husband, Jared Baker, 30, was released Wednesday from Mercy Hospital where he was treated for moderate injuries.
The Bakers went to the house to check on Henry, who did not show up for work at a Shenango Township plant where he works with Jared Baker. Sansone said the Bakers smelled natural gas and saw what appeared to be towels under the door. They were apparently leaving the porch when the house exploded.