Hostage suspect arraigned in hospital

South Windsor (WTNH) - Handcuffed to a stretcher, a man accused of kidnapping his ex-wife and torching his South Windsor home, was arraigned in Hartford Hospital Wednesday. 

Charges against 60-year old Richard Shenkman include kidnapping, arson and criminal attempt to commit murder.

The judge ordered that he be held on a $12.5 million bond. That's of course, after he leaves the hospital. Shenkman is said to have serious injuries and is dipping in and out of consciousness following the 13 hour standoff with police.

It began in downtown Hartford when Shenkman allegedly kidnapped his wife, Nancy Tyler, from the parking lot of her office building.

The couple never showed up for court and police used GPS technology to trace them to their home in South Windsor on Tumblebrook Drive.

Shenkman called police telling them he had a hostage, explosives and weapons.

Throughout the day, Shenkman made various demands from police, including asking a priest to come and give Tyler her last rites.

"You know, I don't know the details of all his demands throughout the day. There was a point when he did not want media coverage, and a point when he did try to set up some media coverage," said Cmdr. Matthew Reed, South Windsor PD.

Police say Shenkman handcuffed his ex-wife in the basement, but somehow she escaped around 8:30pm. Then, the standoff got uglier. Shenkman started shooting off guns and begging cops to shoot back and kill him. They didn't so Shenkman set fire to the house. Police fired dozens of tear gas canisters trying to drive him out, but Shenkman stayed put amid the gas, smoke and flames.

He finally surrendered around midnight.

"A little bit before 10:00 I think is when the fire started and it burned, and like I said he didn't come out until midnight. The house was fully engulfed, in fact I was standing next to one of the fire chiefs and he said, 'There's no way he survived this,'" said Cmdr. Reed.

But he did survive and didn't surrender until the house was almost gone and there was nowhere left to hide. Shenkman was taken to Hartford Hospital for injuries from the fire.

Once that fire was out, bomb experts searched the wreckage for the explosives Shenkman claimed to have. They found Shenkman's gun in the smoldering remains of the home.

Back in March 2007, Shenkman was arrested on charges that he burned down the couple's Niantic summer home. He allegedly set the fire hours before he was set to hand it over to his wife as part of the divorce proceedings.

Tyler has since been released from St. Francis Hospital.

"We have not yet taken a detailed statement from her yet, we are glad to say she has been released from the hospital," said Reed. "She came by police headquarters, she went to the scene assisting investigators."