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Woman Accused Of Cutting The Power To Ex's Home, Breaking In With Gun, Lighter Fluid, Baseball Bat And Duct Tape
“The idea that she parks down the block and kills the power in the house … that’s the kinda stuff you see on spy thrillers on TV,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said after Lilly Xiong's arrest. “She had all the necessary tools with her (to kill her ex).”
A scorned Michigan woman is accused of cutting the power to her ex-boyfriend's home and breaking in armed with a rifle, lighter fluid, baseball bat and duct tape in what prosecutors called “the kinda stuff you see on spy thrillers on TV.”
Lilly Xiong, 21, is now facing charges of attempted murder, home invasion, arson-attempt to burn and three felony firearm counts, according to the Shelby Township police.
Xiong is accused of driving to the home of her ex-boyfriend, who has not been identified, just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday and parking a block away before making her way into the home through a window, Det. Lt. Patrick Barnard told Oxygen.com.
The woman then allegedly cut the power at the breaker box and doused the basement of the home with lighter fluid, police said.
“The idea that she parks down the block and kills the power in the house … that’s the kinda stuff you see on spy thrillers on TV,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said, according to WJBK. “She had all the necessary tools with her (to kill her ex).”
Shortly after breaking into the home, the ex-boyfriend’s sister woke up after she heard something downstairs and went to tell her father, Barnard told Oxygen.com. He initially went to check on the noise, but did not find anything unusual and went back to bed.
“The daughter again heard something downstairs and again goes to wake up her father,” Barnard said. “They try to turn on lights and find there is no power.”
The father used his cell phone to shine light throughout the house. On his way from the family room down to the basement, he noticed the carpet at the bottom of the stairs was wet and smelled of chemicals.
As he was investigating, he heard a gunshot behind him and turned to find his son’s ex-girlfriend pointing the rifle at him, police said. The father would later tell police that he heard the trigger click two more times, but the gun did not fire.
“He then grabbed the suspect, along with the rifle and a struggle ensues,” Barnard said. “The father was able to take the rifle from the suspect and control her.”
As the father fought with Xiong, the sister called 911. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found Xiong in the home and were able to take her into custody without further incident.
Police said she'd brought three bottles of lighter fluid, a baseball bat and duct tape into the home. One of the bottles of lighter fluid had been half-emptied and was discarded in the basement next to the wet carpet, Barnard said.
Police said Xiong had broken up with her boyfriend three weeks before the bold break-in. The ex’s family told investigators that after the break up, Xiong had sent threatening text messages to him, slashed his tires and put water in his gas tank.
The pair had reportedly met while working together at an automotive store, along with the ex-boyfriend’s mother, and began casually dating in July, local station WDIV reports
The ex-boyfriend reportedly wasn't home at the time of the break in.
Barnard said Xiong is currently being held on a $200,000 cash bond.
