AUGUSTA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A woman has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing a man to death and setting his house on fire in Augusta early Wednesday morning, according to the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 3:46 a.m. on January 29, sheriff’s deputies stopped a vehicle near Romney after receiving a report of a reckless driver on Ford Hill Road.
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Deputies identified the driver as April M. Einig, 42, who was residing in Augusta but had a Baltimore, Maryland, address on her license.
Deputies noted that Einig was covered in blood. She told officers that she had stabbed a male victim at his residence on Woodland Mountain Trail in Augusta.
Einig was also driving the victim’s Ford pickup truck.
Minutes before the traffic stop, at 3:38 a.m., Hampshire County 911 received a report of a structure fire at the same residence Einig mentioned.
Firefighters from Augusta and North River Fire Departments responded, but the home was already nearly destroyed.
Snow and ice on poorly maintained roads made access difficult.
After the fire was extinguished, investigators from the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office discovered human remains inside the residence.
Authorities believe the remains belong to the male victim, though his identity has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
Einig claimed she acted in self-defense, but investigators say the evidence does not support her statement.
Authorities believe she arrived at the victim’s home sometime after 10:00 p.m. on January 28.
Einig was taken to a hospital before being placed in the custody of the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office. She is charged with second-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office thanked the Augusta and North River Fire Departments, the West Virginia Department of Highways, and the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office for their assistance.
Hampshire County EMS and Medical Examiner Melody Stotler also responded to the scene.
