Salt Lake woman douses husband with lighter fluid, sets him on fire, police say

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — A woman is accused of dousing her husband with lighter fluid and setting him on fire at their Salt Lake County residence, according to Salt Lake City police.

The woman, 31, was arrested in Salt Lake County on five counts of aggravated arson (first-degree felony), aggravated assault (third-degree felony), property damage (class B misdemeanor), and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child (third-degree felony).

On July 12, SLCPD responded to a report of a woman setting her husband on fire at their basement residence. The caller — the landlord who reportedly rents out the basement to the married couple — reported that she had heard the victim “screaming in pain,” according to the probable cause affidavit.

The victim allegedly told his landlord that his wife had set him on fire after dousing him with lighter fluid. The landlord also stated the woman admitted to setting her husband on fire.

Upon entering the scene, police found the couple’s room to be filled with smoke, with a pile of clothes and carpet still smoking from the incident. The victim suffered from “multiple blisters and peeling skin from being burned,” the affidavit states.

The couple’s young children, ages 1 and 2, were reportedly asleep in another room. Police said the landlord’s daughter, 14, was also present.

The accused woman is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and “appears to suffer from delusions and mental instability,” the affidavit states.

No further information is available at this time.

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