Woman charged with murder in fire that killed popular butcher shop owner

ISHPEMING, Mich. (AP) — A woman accused of setting her husband on fire in 2021 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been separately charged with murder in the death of a popular meat shop owner who was caught in a house fire last spring.

Charges of first-degree murder and arson were filed Friday in Marquette County against Julie Boxley, online court records show.

Glenn Andrews, 72, died after his home in Ishpeming was set on fire in March. He was the owner of Glenn’s Smokehouse, which sold specialty meats in Ishpeming.

“I love sausages. I love flavors. I love mixing things,” Andrews told WLUC-TV, displaying meats during a live studio appearance in 2022.

He said he had moved to the Upper Peninsula from the Detroit area after working for decades at Dearborn Sausage.

Boxley is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 27. Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for attorneys representing her in other pending cases.

Boxley, 52, has also been charged with attempted murder in nearby Alger County. James Boxley, who was her husband at the time, has testified that she poured a liquid on him and threw matches while he was sleeping in 2021.

“Ms. Boxley has a history of mental illness, and I think that when we get all the stuff back from the forensic center, we will all see how severely ill she was at the time,” defense lawyer Jennifer France said in August when a judge found enough evidence to order a trial.