WV woman facing attempted murder and arson charges in Pike County incident

A West Virginia woman is behind bars after investigators say she brutally assaulted another woman and set fire to her home in the Freeburn area.

According to Kentucky State Police, 28-year-old Angel Joy Hunt, of Wharncliffe, West Virginia, was taken into custody on December 9 and booked into the Pike County Detention Center. She is charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree strangulation (non-domestic), and first-degree arson.

The investigation began on December 6 after KSP Post 9 received a report of an unresponsive woman found near a burned home on Chestnut Branch in Freeburn. The caller told police the woman appeared severely beaten, bleeding from her ears and nose, and had swelling so bad her eyes were nearly shut.

When Trooper Terry Mounts arrived, he identified the victim as the resident of the burned home. Court documents state her feet had been burned, she was unable to talk, and she was immediately taken for medical treatment.

Troopers later obtained surveillance video from a nearby home that showed Hunt walking away from the victim’s residence shortly after midnight. Mounts also noted that Hunt was wearing the same clothing he had seen her in the day before during an unrelated call. A jacket believed to belong to Hunt was found hanging on a tree near where the victim was discovered.

This report was compiled using information gathered from law enforcement statements, official press releases, Breathitt Advocate and publicly available news sources.

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On December 9, while being treated at Pikeville Medical Center, the victim regained consciousness and was able to give investigators a statement. She told troopers that Hunt tied her hands behind her back with an extension cord, choked her, burned her toes in an Amish heater, beat and stomped her, and even broke glass across her back. She further stated that Hunt set a fire inside her living room before leaving.

KSP confirmed the victim, identified in local reports as Nancy Gearles of Freeburn, suffered multiple cuts, bruises, and burn injuries.

Hunt was arrested and is currently awaiting court proceedings on the serious felony charges.