Suspect in Danville Gasoline Attack Appears in Court
- BTW21
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
DANVILLE, Va. (BTW21) — A Danville man is facing serious charges after allegedly setting another man on fire during a shocking attack this summer.
Shotsie Buck Hayes has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding in connection with the July incident involving Lee Vogler.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors called three witnesses as part of their effort to advance the case to a grand jury.
One of the witnesses, Steven Seiple — a colleague of Vogler — described arriving at the scene and finding Vogler badly injured. “Lee was lying in the mulch, his shirt burned off, skin severely damaged,” Seiple testified.
The second witness, Danville Police Investigator Gerrit Clay, told the court that Hayes confessed to intentionally trying to kill Vogler.
According to Clay, Hayes said he was motivated by suspicions of an affair between Vogler and his wife.
The third witness, Blair Vogler — Lee Vogler’s wife — offered a harrowing account of her husband’s injuries.
She said he sustained third-degree burns on more than 60% of his body.
An additional 35% of his body had to be used for skin grafts, and he later suffered infections and went into shock due to the extent of his injuries.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman highlighted the gravity of the burns to support the aggravated nature of the charges.
A conviction could carry a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison.
Hayes has submitted motions regarding mental competency and has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
These issues will be considered at the circuit court level.
His case is set to be presented to a grand jury on October 27.