Cheating wife set husband on fire then ran him over with a van

Linda Stermer has been convicted twice for the gruesome death of her husband

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Todd and Linda Stermer were married for more than 13 years. They first met in 1989 when they were both 25. Stermer was a single mum going through a divorce, with two toddler daughters. The couple went on to have two sons, Trevor and Trenton, before they married in August 1993.

Todd was a keen family man and they even took in Stermer’s two-year-old nephew, Cory, when he needed a new home. Todd proudly treated all the children the same. He was active in their hobbies and a skilled handyman, working hard to complete the construction of their home in Michigan.

By early 2007, Stermer was working for a trucking company, while Todd had his own business selling gloves and hunting gear. Stermer’s grownup daughters had moved out and the three sons were still at home. But Stermer and Todd’s marriage was in trouble. Stermer had been having an affair with a truck driver at work and on the night of 6 January, the three boys could hear their parents having a huge argument.

It wasn’t just Stermer’s infidelity they were fighting about. Money came into it too. Todd thought Stermer’s obsession with horses was a costly mistake — she had about 30. Stermer thought Todd wasn’t doing enough to contribute to the finances.

The next afternoon, on 7 January, the emergency services were called to a fire at the Stermer home. When they arrived, flames had overwhelmed the property. Stermer was distraught, but unharmed.

Todd, 42, was in a bad way. He'd been badly burned and was lying on the ground outside the house. Paramedics tried to save him, but he died from his injuries. Thankfully, their three sons were not at home.