An argument over the air conditioning setting allegedly led to a husband using a cooking pot to douse his wife in gasoline and then set her on fire, resulting in her horrible death in their Florida home.
Robert Head, 58, is charged with first-degree murder and arson. A probable cause arrest affidavit states that Williston Fire Rescue responded to a complaint of a structure fire at 7:48 p.m. on Thursday. When they arrived, the residence was completely engulfed in flames, and they were told that a woman was still inside. Crews hurried inside and discovered a woman dead. Officers were also informed that Head was responsible for the murder.
Cops discovered Head cowering in a dog cage, carrying a knife, and threatening to hurt himself. They put him into custody. The victim’s daughter told deputies that she was at home when Head allegedly set fire to her mother. She reportedly described her relationship with Head as tense, claiming he and her mother frequently battled. The affidavit stated that when she returned home from work on Thursday, the air conditioner was set to low and the temperature was high.
According to the daughter, Head, and her mother frequently argued about the temperature in the house. A verbal altercation ensued, with Head allegedly calling his wife things like b—-, to which she responded by calling him a “broke b—-,” according to the affidavit. According to the affidavit, Head stepped outside “smiling” before returning with a cooking pot full of gasoline. He was believed to have commented, “If we going out we going out together, I told you I ain’t never leaving you.” Police allege he then took the pot and emptied it on his wife’s torso and feet.
The daughter told detectives that Head burned a piece of paper and threw it on his wife, producing a “explosive reaction.” The daughter was also burned, and she fled the house.
Following Miranda, the defendant allegedly admitted to lighting his wife on fire. Head stated that he was furious because his wife had been protecting her daughter during disagreements since she moved in with them approximately two years ago. After the two battled about the air conditioning, he allegedly went outside and filled the pot with gas before returning inside and setting his wife on fire.
He claimed he had planned to commit suicide before police arrived.
New York MAN CHARGED With MURDER for Stomping on Social Worker’s Head With ‘HEAVY BOOTS’
“When asked the defendant stated that he deserved to die for taking the life of the victim,” according to an affidavit.
The victim, Genevether Head, was identified by Gainesville ABC station WCJB.
“She was very blunt and very caring,” her nephew Jamell Bradshaw told the publication. “It was very rare that she would say no to you if you came to ask her for something, she was very supportive.”
Bradshaw stated that the victim’s daughter is healing from her injuries and the shock of losing her mother.
“It’s a process for all of us,” explained Bradshaw. “That was her mother, best friend, and everything. “Her world was kind of gone.”
Head is being held at the Levy County Jail with no bond.