Kalena Stubbs (Madison County District Attorney's Office).
A Mississippi woman set her ex-boyfriend on fire and then tried to tell police he had "fallen into the fireplace holding a bottle of lighter fluid," even going so far as to change his clothes before calling 911, according to prosecutors.
"The injuries this victim suffered were horrific and some of the most severe we have seen," said Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett in a press release announcing the sentencing of Kalena Stubbs, 51, on Wednesday for aggravated assault.
Stubbs pleaded guilty to the felony charge and was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, which is the maximum time allowed for the offense, according to Bramlett.
While Stubbs' ex survived the attack, Bramlett said his injuries will "affect him for the rest of his life," according to the DA's press release. "We hope that this sentence gives him some sense that justice has been done," Bramlett added.
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According to prosecutors, Stubbs called police on Jan. 16 and told them that her ex-boyfriend "had fallen into the fireplace" at his home in Madison County.
"When they arrived at the victim's home, they discovered the victim was severely burned all over his torso, upper arms, and face," Bramlett's press release says. "Investigators immediately noticed that his clothes were not burned and questioned Stubbs about it. She admitted that she changed his clothes before calling 911."
Officers noted that there was an open bottle of lighter fluid on a mantel that "did not appear to have come into contact with an open flame" and "immediately began to suspect Stubbs was responsible," per the release.
The victim was airlifted from the scene to a local hospital. He spent months in out-of-state burn units and nursing homes while trying to recover from third-degree burns covering his entire upper body, according to Bramlett.
"When he finally regained his ability to speak, he indicated that Stubbs had doused him with lighter fluid and set him on fire while they were arguing," the release says. "This was consistent with the burn locations and patterns on his body."
Stubbs has been ordered to serve her sentence in the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She must serve all 20 years.
