A Florida man is now paralysed after an elaborate plan to kill his wife went haywire.
Henry Herbig is facing charges of aggravated malicious wounding and breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony.
As reported by WAVY-TV, prosecutors told the court the 65-year-old had been planning the attack for weeks. But just what happened on September 8?
Check out the local news report below:
After searching Herbig’s car, police found a manifesto which outlined his whole, intricately thought-out plan. According to prosecutors, Herbig seemed to carry out the attack with the idea it’d look like a home invasion robbery in the fallout.
On the day of assault, the 65-year-old left his Florida home in the evening – driving one car and towing another.
The trip was calculated so nobody would trace him: he packed gas cans so he wouldn’t be caught on camera filling up his car; he took plenty of cash so there wouldn’t be any record of credit card usage during the times in question; and he left his phone at home so he wouldn’t be picked up via GPS.
According to WAVY-TV prosecutors said there were several weapons in the car, such as a wooden baton, a gun and a large wrench, as well as disguises, a bag with garbage bags, duct tape and zip ties.
When Herbig got to Virginia Beach, he went to his wife’s home on Bunsen Drive. As he arrived, his stepdaughter reportedly left the house to walk the dog – at this point, Herbig hit her over the head with a wrench.
He then entered the home, finding his wife and proceeding to hit her in the face – she ended up with broken bones as a result of the attack.
But there’s one thing Herbig didn’t account for in his murderous plan – the victims fighting back. His stepdaughter grabbed his gun and shot Herbig, severing his spine and leaving him paralysed.
Police were then called to the scene at around 21:45 that same night.
Herbig’s defense attorney has argued that considering his condition following the incident – for example, he can’t make a fist, nor will he ever walk again – the jail staff will be unable to provide sufficient care, and therefore he should be released on bond.
However, as he appeared from his jail hospital bed through video conference, prosecutors said Herbig was ‘dangerous’, wealthy and should still be considered a flight risk as he could use his connections to make an escape.
The judge decided to deny his request for bond; however, they said they would reconsider bond if Herbig’s attorney came up with a plan for where he’d be treated if released.
Herbig is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on December 6.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.