Man Accused Of Killing Wife In Fire Paid Russian Woman

A Madison man is due back in court October ninth on charges that he killed his wife and blew up his house after paying a Russian woman he met who had visa problems. A Dane County judge continued a one-million dollar bond for 59-year-old Steven Pirus, who’s charged with eight counts after his 50-year-old wife Lee Ann died in a house explosion September 13th. According to charges filed Thursday, Pirus had a smartphone wallpaper photo of a woman named Olga whom he met a couple years ago. She apparently claimed that she was trying to return to the U-S but on the day before the blast, she said she was returning to Russia after getting stuck in London. Officials said he also paid online dating sites and made 85-hundred dollars in cash withdrawals — and he said his wife was suicidal but prosecutors said there was no evidence of that.