I haven't read the story, but she very well could be.
On the other hand, a long marriage of 25 years allows the wife to own half of what he owns; it's the law. Divorcing couples sometimes use lawyers and the threat of even more litigations to make theier partners suffer. Some lawyers FEED off these cases.

It's obvious this was a very disturbed individual who needs to be charged for his crime of arson and attempted manslaughter and be held accountable for all damages. I'm sure his wife knew his mental and emotional state, but the court ignored it at their peril and probably continued in their proceedings. But at that point, nothing much could be done, so vile was his position.

It's a sad, sad state when love goes wrong and MONEY becomes the crux of all the pain. I think people need more than a license to get married. They should first be subjected to 2 hours of real ugly divorce cases and then given a 30 day mandatory wait for their license to marry. Then should come the two hour family life with two screaming babies, both parents working and not having enough money or time for any real communication.

Dreams and aspirations often end up by the wayside when the reality of a binding contract makes people miserable.
In some cases, that's called marriage.