The lunatic who set a Virginia lawmaker on fire claimed he tried to kill the councilman because he was allegedly having “an affair with his wife,” a court heard Tuesday.
Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes, 29, who was arrested for allegedly attempting to burn Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler alive, accused the married father-of-two of cheating with his wife, Mary Alice, local WDBJ reported.
Buck-Hayes and Alice had filed for divorce just weeks before the suspect doused Vogler, 38, with five gallons of gasoline and allegedly set him on fire on July 30, leaving the councilman with burns covering up to 60% of his body.
While the motive had remained a mystery, Danville Police Sgt. Gerrit Clay took the stand on Tuesday to reveal that Buck-Hayes told police “he set the person on fire who had an affair with his wife.”
It remains unclear if there is any validity to Buck-Hayes’ claims that Vogler and Alice engaged in adultery.
During the preliminary hearing, Clay also testified that Buck-Hayes had told police that he purchased the gasoline from a local gas station with the intent to kill Vogler.
Stephen Seiple, an employee at the Showcase Magazine business where Vogler worked, told the court that Buck-Hayes chased Vogler with the bucket of gas, lighting him on fire outside the building.
The victim’s wife, Blair Vogler, said that along with the second- and third-degree burns on over half his body, Vogler also suffered burn shock, septic shock, and damage to his lungs due to the smoke.
She also said that it took 35% of his skin to cover the burn marks, with Vogler still recovering after undergoing multiple surgeries.
Buck-Hayes has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding, with his defense making no presentation at the hearing.
