A Volusia County, Florida jury found a man guilty of murder and arson Thursday for the 2017 murder of a woman he set on fire.
Bernard Thomas was sentenced to mandatory life in prison for first-degree murder and consecutive 30-year sentences for first-degree arson of a dwelling and first-degree arson of a vehicle.
A jury in Volusia County, Florida, convicted a man of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree arson for setting a woman on fire in 2017.
(Volusia County Corrections)
Volusia County State’s Attorney RJ Larizza’s office said in a statement that on Aug. 27, 2017, Tracy Adams ran into her home in Deland, Florida, screaming, “Bernard tried to kill [me]”to his children.
FLORIDA DETECTIVES LINK KNOWN GANG MEMBER TO MURDER OF NO-FLOW CASE IN 2006: DETECTIVES
Adams was on fire as she ran, and when investigators arrived on scene, they found her car was engulfed in flames that spread to the roof of her home.
A subsequent investigation found that a bottle recovered as evidence at the scene was filled with gasoline and thrown at Adams as she sat in her car.
A Texas inmate and three prison guards were injured in a transport vehicle accident from Monday night through early Tuesday morning. Both the police and the fire department arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning after the accident. The victims were driving a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisoner van.
(iStock)
As a result, he suffered severe burns, was shot in the shoulder, and died of complications from his burns weeks later.
FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED AFTER TRYING TO ROBP SECOND GUN STORE IN 3 DAYS: POLICE
Thomas lived on the property in a gazebo for about a year, the statement said, and was a close friend of her family.
The investigation of the incident included the mapping of cell phone towers, which ultimately located Thomas at the crime scene.
Her call log also showed more than 30 calls to Adams in a seven-day period, according to the statement, though none were made to her after she was set on fire and sent to the hospital.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Thomas fled the county and was eventually arrested and charged with his crimes.
“The brutal nature of this crime amazes me,” Larizza said. “This murder was the act of a depraved and vicious man. His cruelty knows no bounds.”
