Medical Examiner Testifies Slain Detroit Man Had Accelerant In Stomach

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A doctor says an accelerant-type liquid was in the stomach of a 91-year-old man found beaten and burned to death in his Detroit home.

Assistant Wayne County medical examiner Kilak Kesha testified Tuesday during 17-year-old George Stewart IV's preliminary examination, before a judge ordered a trial in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Stewart is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder and arson in the Nov. 23 slaying of Paul Monchnik, who was discovered with severe burns and a head injury at his burning house on Bentler Street.

After surveillance video showed a young man driving Monchnik's van to a nearby gas station to purchase gasoline in cans, Stewart — who had been living next door to Monchnik — turned himself in to police.

Kesha said about one-fifth of a cup of the liquid was in Monchnik, adding that the victim may have been forced to drink it or it was forced into his throat.

At the time of his arrest, Stewart's family members seemed shocked by the accusations; one relative telling WWJ, "...He's supposed to be at Romulus High School playing basketball, going to class like all his siblings."

According to family members, Monchnik was a widower and father of three who had lived in his home for 65 years. He worked for more than 50 years as a self-employed television repairman before retiring.

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