When his wife wouldn't pay for extra cable channels, Thomas Scala flew into a rage.
Police said Blanche Scala of Staten Island died of a brain hemorrhage a day after she was beaten by her husband for not paying more so he could have access to premium cable channels while he was hospitalized over Thanksgiving.
Thomas Scala is charged with assault and criminal mischief, but he could face more serious charges, like murder, when the case goes in front of a grand jury.
From the New York Post:
When Scala hit Blanche with what investigators believe was an ashtray during the argument, the impact caused a re-bleeding of a brain wound that she suffered during a previous domestic violence incident on Nov. 19, according to the sources.
The medical examiner has ruled her Nov. 27 death a homicide due to blunt impact trauma to head.
Scala admitted to hitting his wife.
During the argument, cops said Blanche Scala tried to gather her clothes into a shopping cart so she could leave the couple's home, but her husband doused them with hairspray and set them on fire.
She later escaped to a friend's house for the night, but was found not breathing the next morning.