A man accused of setting a Virginia city councilman on fire claimed in court that he did so because the councillor was supposedly involved with his wife. This unsettling detail emerged during a hearing on Tuesday.
29-year-old Shotsy Michael Buck Hayes has been arrested following the incident involving Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler. He alleges that his wife, Mary Alice, was having an affair with the councillor, according to local reports.
On July 30, it was reported that Hayes is suspected of using five gallons of gasoline to ignite Vogler, resulting in severe burns over 60% of the councillor’s body.
While the exact motives remain somewhat unclear, Sergeant Danville Police. Clay stated that Hayes told officers he set fire to someone he believed was involved with his spouse.
There hasn’t been clear proof to confirm whether Buck Hayes’s assertions about the alleged affair between Vogler and his wife are accurate.
During the preliminary hearing, it was also revealed that Hayes had purchased the gasoline from a local station before approaching Vogler.
Witness Stephen Seiple, who works at the magazine where Vogler is employed, testified that Hayes pursued Vogler with a bucket of gasoline before igniting him outside the building.
The victim’s wife, Blair Vogler, explained that her husband suffered extensive injuries, including second and third-degree burns that affected more than half of his body. He also experienced severe complications, such as septic shock and lung damage.
She mentioned that about 35% of his skin had to be grafted to address the burns, and he continues to navigate a challenging recovery process with several surgeries.
Buck Hayes now faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding, but his legal defense was not presented during the hearing.
