Woman remains in coma after arson

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. (WTNH) -- A Willimantic woman is still in a coma after an arson last month.

Now her husband says he won't stop searching until an arrest is made in the case.

David Marshall never imagined the true horror of a house fire. On August 7th, disoriented and breathing in smoke he somehow made it out of a third floor window.

"I'm up on the couch at this window, I'm clawing at the top of it and being afraid, feeling that I'm going unconscious, that the smoke was going to knock me unconscious and that was going to be it," Marshall said. "Then I don't remember anything until hitting the ground outside."

His wife wasn't able to get out on her own.

When firefighters risked their lives pulling Kathy Hill from the burning home she was not breathing and her heart had stopped because of the smoke inhalation, which also severely burned her lungs.

Hill was in a coma for weeks. Just recently she started showing signs of improvement at a Boston hospital.

"More muscle movements are appearing basically every day," said Marshall. "You can see the rewiring and the turning on happening."

Although she still can't communicate. Marshall wants people to know the Willimantic fire which was set is not a victimless crime.

"People who commit arson they might as well be going out in the street and just firing bullets at crowds," Marshall said. "I mean you're very likely to kill somebody. It's a horrible crime."

News 8 discovered the arson reward posters appear to have been removed from the South Street house, so we called the fire chief who tells us he'll make sure new posters are put up. Marshall plans to put his own posters up too, advertising the reward and telling his wife's story.

"Both of us were nearly killed so it's a terrible crime," Marshall said. "I hope people will be motivated to speak out because of that."

To spread the word Marshall left his wife's bedside in Boston and met News 8 at UConn where they both work in the biology department.