Mississippi man pleads guilty to setting woman on fire, gets 10 year prison sentence

Published 11:17 am Monday, May 8, 2023

A Mississippi man accused of setting a woman on fire was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault-domestic violence.

Ninth District Circuit Judge M. James Chaney sentenced Samuel Purvis Coley III, 30, of Vicksburg, on Friday in circuit court.

Chaney sentenced Coley to 15 years in prison with 10 to serve and five years post-release supervision.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

According to Warren County Sheriff’s office reports, Vicksburg 911 received a call from the Merit Health River Region Emergency Department just before 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 28 of last year, stating that they were treating a 32-year-old woman who arrived by private vehicle and suffering from burns that she said she received during an assault.

An investigation indicated that she and Coley had a dispute and he poured rubbing alcohol on her and set it on fire.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening burns on her upper body and legs. She was treated in the emergency department and later released. Coley was arrested later that day.