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Miami-Dade woman charged after man suffers burns over 80% of his body
A 33-year-old man was hospitalized in extremely critical condition after being set on fire Saturday evening in northwest Miami-Dade, authorities said. Tanisha Shelton, 45, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm.
A 33-year-old man suffered second- and third-degree burns over at least 80% of his body after he was set on fire Saturday evening in northwest Miami-Dade, according to an arrest report. He was in extremely critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center and was not expected to survive, the report said.
Tanisha Shelton, 45, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said. She was booked early Sunday at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The corrections website listed a $10,000 bond on the attempted murder charge; bond for the arson charge was listed as pending.
Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were called at about 6:02 p.m. Saturday to the area of Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 25th Avenue. They found the unconscious, burned man, identified by the sheriff’s office as Nathaniel Devon Mathis.
Witnesses told investigators that Shelton and Mathis had argued earlier in the day. Shelton allegedly threatened to leave and return with someone to assault him, then came back several hours later carrying a bucket containing an unknown accelerant, according to the report.
The report alleges Shelton borrowed a lighter from a witness, approached Mathis and resumed the argument before pouring the liquid on him and setting him on fire. She ran away, and a witness chased her and used pepper spray in an effort to stop her, authorities said.
Deputies located Shelton nearby after witnesses described her clothing, including a brown dress and purple sneakers, the report said. She was arrested without incident and later invoked her right to an attorney, according to the report.