In a bizarre murder case that has captivated Washington, DC, 47-year-old German national Albrecht Muth has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, 91-year-old socialite and former journalist Viola Drath. Muth, who was booked more than once for domestic violence during the 22-year marriage, was arrested after medical examiners determined that his wife had died of strangulation and blunt-force injuries, the Washington Post reports.
Police say that the day after Drath's body was found, he presented her relatives with a forged letter stating that he was to be paid $150,000 in the event of her death, reports the Huffington Post. Drath's friends describe her as a wonderful, intelligent woman who was full of life, and describe Muth as a strange individual and pathological liar whom they had repeatedly warned her about. Muth, who was unemployed and received a $2,000 monthly allowance from his elderly wife, often claimed to be a general in the Iraqi army and at times walked around the neighborhood in uniform. (More murder stories.)