A Florida woman was arrested after she allegedly covered a man in an accelerant and set him on fire after they got into an argument, and he was left with severe burns covering 80 percent of his body.
Tanisha Shelton was arrested following the incident on Saturday, October 24, and was charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm, according to her arrest report viewed by CBS News.
Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews reported to the scene around 6:02 p.m. after they received reports that a person had been set on fire. They then found Nathaniel Devon Mathis, who was unconscious.
Mathis, 33, was suffering from significant burn injuries, and he was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for treatment. Medical staff said he sustained second and third-degree burns that covered at least 80 percent of his body. The arrest report stated that the victim is in extremely critical condition and he is not expected to survive.
An investigation was launched into the matter, and witnesses told investigators that Shelton, 45, and Mathis were involved in a verbal altercation on the day he was set on fire. Witnesses said that Shelton allegedly threatened that she would leave and return with someone who would assault him.
Shelton did leave the area, and she returned several hours later with a white plastic bucket that contained an unknown liquid accelerant in a plastic bag.
She allegedly asked a witness to borrow a lighter, and she then approached Mathis to resume the argument. As they continued to fight, Shelton poured the accelerant over him and set him on fire before she ran away.
Authorities said that a witness chased Shelton and tried to stop her by spraying her with pepper spray, though they were unsuccessful.
Shelton was located nearby and was arrested without incident. She was transported to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau and she invoked her right to legal counsel, according to the arrest report.
She was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on the morning of Sunday, October 25, and she remains in custody.
Shelton’s bond for the attempted murder charge has been set at $10,000, according to online records viewed by Us. Meanwhile, the bond for her arson charge is listed as “to be set.”
Court records do not currently indicate if Shelton has entered a plea. The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
