A scorned husband set fire to a Virginia lawmaker for allegedly having an affair with his wife, a court has heard.
Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes was arrested in July after allegedly pouring gasoline on Danville City Council member Lee Vogler inside his office and igniting him.
At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, a Danville Police investigator said that Buck-Hayes told officers ‘he set the person on fire who had an affair with his wife’.
It remains unclear if there is any truth to the claim that Vogler engaged in an affair with his wife.
Buck-Hayes, who grew up in the English county of Devon, is alleged to have told cops that he had purchased gasoline at a gas station with the intent to kill Vogler, using a lighter to start the fire.
Vogler’s wife Blair told the court that her husband suffered second and third-degree burns to 60 per cent of his body.
According to his wife it took 35 percent of his skin to cover the burns, he also suffered burn shock and septic shock, as well as burning to his lungs due to smoke.
Vogler has been in hospital ever since the incident and is still recovering. He has two children with his wife.
Three witnesses testified at the hearing, an employee of Showcase Magazine where the attack happened and Lee worked, a police investigator and Vogler’s wife.
Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes is seen here alongside his wife Mary Alice, who filed for divorce weeks before the attack
Lee Vogler’s wife Blair said her husband suffered second and third-degree burns to 60 percent of his body
According to the employee, Stephen Seiple, Buck-Hayes walked into the building with a bucket and chased Vogler, pouring gasoline on him.
Seiple told the court that he saw the actual burning happen, and described the wounds on Vogler.
He said: ‘The next think I remember was Lee screaming “call 911, he threw gas on me,” he came running by. He had a burgundy shirt on, I could smell gas.
‘Somebody came behind Lee with a bucket.’ When asked to identify them, he pointed to Buck-Hayes, who appeared in a prison jumpsuit.
Seiple continued: ‘I called 911, and by the time I got to Lee’s office and they were going out to the street.
‘When I got [out front], his shirt had been burned off. His chest was very pink and his arms were really, really bad.’
Buck-Hayes was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding following the attack.
In court on Tuesday, a lawyer representing Buck-Hayes offered no evidence to the contrary as the judge found probable cause in the case – certifying the charges.
Police said that Buck-Hayes fled the scene but witnesses managed to provide them with a description of him and his vehicle
Buck-Hayes told officers that he had purchased gasoline at a gas station with the intent to kill Vogler, using a lighter to start the fire, the court heard
Vogler (right), who has two young children with his wife, Blair Vogler (left), was the target of the alleged attack
Another court hearing has been set in the case for late next month, on October 27.
Hayes’s wife, Mary Alice Buck-Hayes, filed for divorce just two weeks before the incident. The couple married in 2021, according to her Facebook page. Buck-Hayes emigrated to the US from his home in South Molton, Devon, in 2020.
Police said that Buck-Hayes fled the scene but witnesses managed to provide them with a description of him and his vehicle.
He was then stopped several blocks away where he was taken into custody by officers.
A GoFundMe for Vogler, set up by his wife, has raised over $160,000 with the latest update last week saying he underwent another skin graft.
Blair Vogler testifies during a preliminary hearing for Buck-Hayes in General District Court in Danville on Tuesday
A witness claimed Buck-Hayes walked into this building with a bucket and chased Vogler, pouring gasoline on him
The post added: ‘This process is slow, challenging, and sometimes frustrating, but Lee is determined, and we have faith that he will keep pushing forward.
‘We’re so thankful to have you all by our side, and we continue to draw strength from the love and encouragement you provide.’
Vogler made history in May 2012 when he was elected to the City Council at just 24 years old and became the youngest person ever to hold the position.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010 and now serves as managing partner at Andrew Brooks Media Group which owns Showcase Magazine.