Man accused of trying to kill family
Suspect allegedly set fire at Estero residence
By DENES HUSTY III
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on April 19, 2005
Havnen: Allegedly tried to kill his family
An Estero man, reportedly distraught over his impending divorce, allegedly tried to kill his wife and three children by setting fire to the family's house, according to Lee County sheriff's deputies.
Mark Allen Havnen, 41, of 22090 Seashore Circle was taken into custody by officers who were called to the scene of the 6:34 a.m. fire.
Havnen, an employee at Naples Lakes Country Club, is being held in the Lee County Jail without bail on four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of arson while people were present. Each count carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence.
The incident came a day after a south Fort Myers man apparently shot and killed his wife and two young daughters before killing himself.
Havnen's wife, Connie, 39, and their three children — a 10-year-old daughter and sons ages 8 and 5 — escaped uninjured, said Jim Clark, spokesman for the Estero Fire and Rescue District.
Mark Havnen ran out a back door of the house and refused treatment before being taken into custody by deputies, Clark said.
The wife told detectives that she and her husband decided a week ago to get a divorce.
According to sheriff's reports:
Mark Havnen decided to go to Minnesota for a cooling-off period, but when Connie Havnen returned from Germain Arena on Sunday where she took her children ice skating, her husband had returned and locked them out.
Mark Havnen finally let his family inside. Connie Havnen went to sleep in her daughter's room where she woke up around 6 a.m. to find her husband holding a knife. He stabbed the dresser and the master bedroom door.
Connie Havnen saw her husband sprinkling gas in the master bedroom while she was on the phone. She then struggled briefly with her husband before she and the children ran to a neighbor's house.
— Staff writer Sarah Lundy contributed to this report.
Suspect allegedly set fire at Estero residence
By DENES HUSTY III
[email protected]
Published by news-press.com on April 19, 2005
Havnen: Allegedly tried to kill his family
An Estero man, reportedly distraught over his impending divorce, allegedly tried to kill his wife and three children by setting fire to the family's house, according to Lee County sheriff's deputies.
Mark Allen Havnen, 41, of 22090 Seashore Circle was taken into custody by officers who were called to the scene of the 6:34 a.m. fire.
Havnen, an employee at Naples Lakes Country Club, is being held in the Lee County Jail without bail on four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of arson while people were present. Each count carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence.
The incident came a day after a south Fort Myers man apparently shot and killed his wife and two young daughters before killing himself.
Havnen's wife, Connie, 39, and their three children — a 10-year-old daughter and sons ages 8 and 5 — escaped uninjured, said Jim Clark, spokesman for the Estero Fire and Rescue District.
Mark Havnen ran out a back door of the house and refused treatment before being taken into custody by deputies, Clark said.
The wife told detectives that she and her husband decided a week ago to get a divorce.
According to sheriff's reports:
Mark Havnen decided to go to Minnesota for a cooling-off period, but when Connie Havnen returned from Germain Arena on Sunday where she took her children ice skating, her husband had returned and locked them out.
Mark Havnen finally let his family inside. Connie Havnen went to sleep in her daughter's room where she woke up around 6 a.m. to find her husband holding a knife. He stabbed the dresser and the master bedroom door.
Connie Havnen saw her husband sprinkling gas in the master bedroom while she was on the phone. She then struggled briefly with her husband before she and the children ran to a neighbor's house.
— Staff writer Sarah Lundy contributed to this report.