'How'd she stay alive so long?': Man poured 'weed eater gas' on his wife after an argument and set her on fire, blamed 'electrical work' for fatal blaze

An Arkansas antheral who tried to blasted atrocious wiring for the fire that killed his wife volition walk the adjacent fewer decades down bars aft helium pleaded blameworthy to murder.

Bruce Lee Cockrell, 48, was sentenced connected Thursday to 75 years successful situation aft helium pleaded blameworthy to execution and arson successful transportation with the 2024 decease of his wife, Tonya Marie Liggin-Cockrell, 35. According to tribunal documents reviewed by Law&Crime, Cockrell doused his woman with "weed eater gas" aft the mates had an statement connected the nighttime of July 8, 2024. When archetypal responders arrived, Cockrell initially told constabulary that the occurrence was caused by faulty "electrical work."

But Liggin-Cockrell, who had tally retired of the location portion ablaze, was capable to archer constabulary what truly happened.

Love existent crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life transgression stories delivered close to your inbox.

When archetypal responders arrived astatine the Cockrells' home, Liggin-Cockrell was inactive live and talking, portion besides suffering from burns implicit "what appeared to beryllium 100 percent of her body." Cockrell adjacent helped paramedics load his woman onto a backboard earlier she was brought by ambulance to a infirmary successful Texarkana, Texas. A lawman from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office noticed that Cockrell did not person immoderate burns oregon injuries, adjacent though helium told the lawman that helium and his woman were some successful furniture erstwhile the occurrence started.

Cockrell told the lawman that electrical enactment installed by the home's erstwhile owner, "possibly illegal," indispensable person been the origin of the fire. Then constabulary recovered a jug of weed eater state successful the home's kitchen. When asked astir what that jug was doing wrong the house, Cockrell said "he had been moving connected a weed eater wrong the residence."

After Liggin-Cockrell was taken to the hospital, a caregiver who had treated her contacted instrumentality enforcement to archer them what her diligent told her, that Cockrell "poured weed eater state connected her and acceptable her connected fire." Cockrell, who was inactive astatine the country with police, was arrested and charged with home battery. He denied mounting his woman connected fire, inactive claiming that the occurrence was electrical.

The complaint caregiver astatine Christus St. Michael Hospital told constabulary that Liggin-Cockrell repeatedly said, "He acceptable maine connected fire, helium acceptable maine connected fire" portion she was treated successful the exigency room. She besides told the caregiver that Cockrell "was hitting maine and punching me, and telling maine however disfigured I was, and past helium poured gasoline connected maine and acceptable maine connected fire."

More from Law&Crime: 'He poured state connected me': Grandma uses dying breaths to constituent digit astatine grandson for utilizing 'Bic style' lighter to acceptable her connected fire, constabulary say

The adjacent day, Cockrell, portion successful custody, seemingly came clean. When asked by constabulary to spell done the events of the nighttime before, Cockrell told them that helium and his woman got a vessel of whiskey and started arguing. Among the topics were their 2 children, Cockrell's unemployment, the couple's fiscal situation, and erstwhile relationships.

Cockrell said helium got the jug of weed eater state from the room and upon seeing it, Liggin-Cockrell said, "You ain't gonna determination that state connected me." He past proceeded to douse her with the state portion she sat connected the broadside of their bed. Cockrell told constabulary that Liggin-Cockrell grabbed a cigarette, and helium warned her, "Don't airy that cigarette."

According to Cockrell, his woman responded, "F— you. I'm gonna airy this cigaret due to the fact that I don't wanna person to woody with this s— anymore." She past purportedly lit the cigaret and burst into flames, past ran past him retired the home's beforehand door.

Liggin-Cockrell was transferred to a pain portion astatine Arkansas Children's Hospital. She died of her injuries connected July 9, 2024.

Police said that astatine the extremity of the interview, helium asked, "How'd she enactment live truthful long?"

Cockrell was charged with superior execution and arson. After entering a blameworthy plea, a justice sentenced him to 45 years for execution and 30 years for arson, to beryllium served consecutively for a full of 75 years.