West Virginia man charged with kidnapping a woman and setting her on fire with a torch

FILIPPI, V.V. – A man has been charged after being accused of kidnapping a woman and setting her on fire with a torch in Philippi, West Virginia.

Sammy J. Martz allegedly threatened to kill the woman, hit her “all over her body”, sat on her, and burned her stomach and leg with a torch. The victim escaped through a window and hid under the porch of a nearby home, according to court documents obtained by WDTV in West Virginia.

In a criminal complaint obtained by WBOY-TV in West Virginia, a woman told police officers that she fled her home through a back window and ran to hide after Martz threatened to kill her and set her on fire.

Officers from the Philippa Police Department went to the house after answering a call about domestic disturbances on January 24.

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Arriving police found the woman hiding under the porch of the house, and she told cops that Martz had “hit her in the face”, causing her “eye to swell”, according to WBOY.

While the woman was recovering from her injuries, she told police that Marz was still at home and had a gun. The officers entered the residence, and moments later Martz emerged from the back bedroom and was arrested, WBOY notes.

An unidentified woman was taken to a local hospital to be treated for her injuries, WDTV notes.

In an interview with police, Martz, 47, told police that he hit the woman and “set her on fire with a torch at least three times,” according to WBOY.

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Referring to the filing of a criminal case, the WBOY noted that officers questioned the woman at the hospital. The victim told police that she tried to leave, but Martz did not allow her to do so for several hours before torturing her.

According to WDTV, Marz has been charged with kidnapping and is being held without bail in a local prison.

This story was reported from Washington, DC.