Man who set Virginia council member on fire over alleged affair gets 40-year sentence

A antheral who admitted to mounting a Virginia metropolis assembly subordinate connected occurrence implicit an alleged matter was sentenced to 40 years successful situation connected Thursday.

Shotsie Buck-Hayes pleaded blameworthy successful April to attempted first-degree execution and aggravated malicious wounding implicit his onslaught connected Danville City Council Member Lee Vogler.

Witnesses told the tribunal that connected July 30, 2025, Buck-Hayes stormed into Vogler's Danville bureau and doused him with gasoline earlier chasing him retired of the gathering and mounting him connected fire, according to Cardinal News.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman told reporters that Buck-Hayes spoke astatine his sentencing proceeding and offered "what helium claimed to beryllium an apology" portion maintaining that helium was motivated by an alleged matter betwixt Vogler and Buck-Hayes' wife, Mary Alice.

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Shotsie Buck-Hayes sits beside defence lawyer Edward Lavado successful the General District Courtroom during a preliminary proceeding successful Danville, Virginia, connected September 30, 2025. (The Associated Press)

Mary Alice filed for divorcement successful mid-July 2025, astir 2 weeks earlier the attack, according to tribunal records cited by Cardinal News.

In September 2025, during the expansive assemblage signifier of the case, Sgt. Gerrit Clay with the Danville Police Department testified that Buck-Hayes intended to termination the joined begetter of 2 implicit this alleged affair, an accusation that has ne'er been substantiated.

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Blair Vogler, the assembly member’s wife, testified that the onslaught near her hubby with second- and third-degree burns crossed 60% of his body.

After the attack, Vogler was instantly airlifted to the pain portion astatine the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and spent months recovering.

Danville City Councilmember Lee Vogler attends a metropolis assembly gathering connected October 21, 2025, the aforesaid time helium was discharged from the infirmary aft being acceptable connected occurrence months earlier (City of Danville)

"In bid to close those burns, they had to instrumentality an further 35% of his skin, truthful determination was a clip erstwhile helium was 95% open," Blair Vogler testified, according to Cardinal News. "That has led to infections, he’s had pain shock, septic shock… a fume inhalation injury, and burns to his lungs, truthful helium had pneumonia."

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Circuit Judge James Reynolds sentenced Buck-Hayes to beingness successful prison. He gave him 10 years for attempted execution and a beingness condemnation for aggravated malicious wounding, but suspended portion of some sentences, giving him a 40-year term.

Attorneys for Buck-Hayes accidental they are readying connected appealing his sentence. They besides said helium is not a U.S. national and that successful the future, helium volition apt instrumentality to his location country, the United Kingdom, according to ABC11.

After the attack, doctors believed Vogler would person to enactment successful the infirmary for six months. According to his GoFundMe, helium was discharged from the infirmary connected Oct. 21, 2025, astir 3 months earlier than expected.

This undated photograph provided by the City of Danville shows Danville City councilmember Lee Vogler, who was acceptable connected occurrence astatine his bureau successful Danville, Virginia, connected July 30, 2025. (City of Danville)

That aforesaid day, Vogler attended his archetypal metropolis assembly gathering since the onslaught and was warmly welcomed backmost by his colleagues.

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"Recovery remains a agelong road—months to years—and volition see orthopedic surgeries for a information called heterotopic ossification, arsenic good arsenic aboriginal cosmetic and laser procedures to amended functionality, scope of motion, and mundane independence," Blair Vogler wrote successful a December 2025 update connected the GoFundMe. "One of Lee’s top challenges close present is moving to regain usage of the near manus owed to nervus damage."

Vogler was elected to the metropolis assembly successful 2012 astatine the property of 24, making him the youngest idiosyncratic to ever beryllium ascend to that position.