Husband, 47, Accused of Killing DC Socialite Wife, 91

Police say fake general presented relatives with forged will
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 18, 2011 1:49 AM CDT
Viola Drath Killing: Albrecht Muth Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder
Muth regularly claimed to be an Iraqi general, but the Iraqi embassy says he has no connection to the country.   (YouTube)

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.)

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