A Madison County woman has been sentenced to the maximum penalty allowed by law after admitting to setting her boyfriend on fire earlier this year.
District Attorney John “Bubba” Bramlett announced Wednesday that 51-year-old Kalena Stubbs pleaded guilty in Madison County Circuit Court to one count of aggravated assault. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The case began Jan. 16 when deputies with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department responded to a home where a man was found with severe burns across his torso, upper arms, and face. Depuries immediately noticed his clothing was not burned, raising concerns about how the injuries occurred.
Stubbs told investigators her husband had fallen into the fireplace while holding a bottle of lighter fluid. However, deputies noted a bottle of lighter fluid sitting on the mantle showing no signs of exposure to flames, contradicting her account. She also admitted to changing the victim’s clothes before calling 911
The victim was later airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center and transferred to multiple burn units out of state. He spent months recovering from third-degree burns.
Once he had regained the ability to speak, the victim told investigators that Stubbs had doused him with lighter fluid and set him on fire during an argument, a statement consistent with the burn patterns documented by medical staff and investigators.
“The injuries this victim suffered were horrific, and some of the most severe we have seen,” Bramlett said. “We appreciate the dedication the Sheriff’s Department showed in working this case, including the continued follow-up with the victim and his family as he worked to recover. I know that his injuries will affect him for the rest of his life, and we hope that this sentence gives him some sense that justice has been done.
Stubbs will serve her full 20-year sentence in MDOC custody.
