Man dies 5 months after wife sets him on fire
.jpg)
Shriya Biman Patel, 25.
A man died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Saturday from injuries he suffered in Austin earlier this year when his wife set him on fire.
The original incident occurred April 17 when Austin police responded to a family disturbance call around 9:30 p.m. at an apartment complex at 12349 Metric Boulevard.
When they arrived, they found the victim, 29-year-old Bimal Patel, lying naked in the living room with severe burns to his body.
According to the arrest affidavit, Bimal Patel told officers as he was being loaded into an ambulance that he thought he was getting a massage from his wife, 25-year-old Shriya Biman Patel, in the bathtub when she poured oil all over him and lit him on fire. Officers also noted a strong smell of gasoline within the apartment.
Investigators on the scene also said the apartment's smoke detector had been dismantled and the sprinklers mounted to the ceiling were covered.
Patel has been charged with arson and aggravated assault with deadly weapon-family violence, a first-degree felony. Her bond is set at $1 million. However, now murder charges are pending.
Patel’s death is Austin’s 22nd murder of the year.