91-Year-Old May Have Been Forced To Drink Gasoline

A 91-year-old man who was beaten and burned to death may have been force-fed gasoline before he was set on fire.

According to the Daily Mail, Paul Monchnik, 91, was found dead in his burning Detroit home at around 3 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2015. 

George Stewart IV, 17, has been charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, and burning a dwelling in connection with Monchnik’s death, The Detroit News reports.

Wayne County Medical Examiner Dr. Kilak Kesha testified in court at a hearing for Stewart that an autopsy revealed that Monchnik had one-fifth of a cup of a byproduct of an accelerant, possibly gasoline, in his system. Dr. Kesha says that the victim may have been forced to drink the accelerant.

“It wold have come through the mouth,” Kesha testified. “The victim could have drank it or [had it put into his open mouth while he was unconscious].”

After Monchnik was found dead, his son, 56-year-old Scott Monchnik, asked for the help of the people of Detroit in identifying the suspect and helping to “get this scum off the streets.”

“Anybody that can help get this scum off the street, please come forward, and please help,” Scott Monchnik said the day his father was found dead. “Nobody deserves to be treated the way this punk treated my dad. [Paul Monchnik] lived by himself; he was nearly deaf, so he lived in his own little world and got along in his own little world very comfortably.”

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said on the day of the murder: “This is a horrible crime, we’re asking for your help. We’re going to do everything we can to identify this person. We do know there was a burglary. We believe during the suspect’s entry into this home, there was an attack. However, in order for the suspect to cover his tracks, he decided to leave the location, obtain some gasoline, return and set the victim and home on fire.”

The following day, Stewart turned himself in to police after Detroit police released a surveillance photo of him getting gas with Monchnik’s missing van, according to WJBK.

According to The Detroit News, Kesha testified that preliminary examination showed that more than 80 percent of Monchnik’s body was burned, with burns ranging from first- to fourth-degree. However, it is not clear if the burning or beating killed the 91-year-old, as he had a head injury severe enough to have killed him as well.

Sources: The Detroit News, Daily Mail, WJBK / Photo Credit: Alex Grichenko/PublicDomainPictures