A West Virginia woman succumbed to the injuries she suffered after her boyfriend allegedly set her on fire last month.
Belinda Cox, 48, died of her injuries Wednesday night at Pittsburgh’s West Penn Burn Center, the Daily Mail reported.
Police say Cox’s boyfriend, Dwayne Michael Lane, 47, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire at their home on September 17 following an argument.
Doctors gave Cox a 17 percent chance of survival after determining that 70 percent of her body was burned and 61 percent of her body was covered in third-degree burns.
Lane allegedly doused Cox with gasoline and tried to keep her captive in one of the home’s bedrooms.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported that two girls, ages ten and 13, witnessed Cox escape the house while Lane chased her down.
The criminal complaint notes that he used a lighter and a paper towel to start the fire. When he failed to ignite the paper towel using the first lighter, he used a second light and chased Cox down until he got close enough to light her on fire, according to the criminal complaint.
Lane tried to re-enter the house to set it ablaze, but one of the witnesses locked the door before he got a chance, the complaint states. The girl doused Cox in water and called the police while Lane allegedly fled.
Lane faces charges of murder, arson, kidnapping, child neglect, and domestic battery. He is in custody in the Southern Regional Jail, and is being held without bond, the Associated Press reports.
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