A Virginia man who acknowledged setting a city council member on fire after accusing him of having an affair was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison.
Shotsie Buck-Hayes pleaded guilty in April to attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding in connection with the attack on Danville City Council Member Lee Vogler.
According to Cardinal News, witnesses testified that Buck-Hayes entered Vogler’s office in Danville on July 30, 2025, poured gasoline on him, then chased him outside and set him ablaze.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman said Buck-Hayes addressed the court during sentencing and delivered “what he claimed to be an apology,” while continuing to say the attack was driven by an alleged affair between Vogler and Buck-Hayes’ wife, Mary Alice.
Shotsie Buck-Hayes sits beside defense attorney Edward Lavado in the General District Courtroom during a preliminary hearing in Danville, Virginia, on September 30, 2025. (The Associated Press)
Court records cited by Cardinal News show that Mary Alice filed for divorce in mid-July 2025, roughly two weeks before the attack took place.
During the grand jury stage of the case in September 2025, Danville Police Sgt. Gerrit Clay testified that Buck-Hayes meant to kill Vogler, a married father of two, because of the alleged affair. The accusation has not been substantiated.
Vogler’s wife, Blair Vogler, told the court that her husband suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60% of his body as a result of the attack.
After the attack, Vogler was immediately airlifted to the burn unit at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and spent months recovering.
Danville City Councilmember Lee Vogler attends a city council meeting on October 21, 2025, the same day he was discharged from the hospital after being set on fire months earlier (City of Danville)
“In order to correct those burns, they had to take an additional 35% of his skin, so there was a time when he was 95% open,” Blair Vogler testified, according to Cardinal News. “That has led to infections, he’s had burn shock, septic shock… a smoke inhalation injury, and burns to his lungs, so he had pneumonia.”
Circuit Judge James Reynolds sentenced Buck-Hayes to life in prison. He gave him 10 years for attempted murder and a life sentence for aggravated malicious wounding, but suspended part of both sentences, giving him a 40-year term.
Attorneys for Buck-Hayes say they are planning on appealing his sentence. They also said he is not a U.S. citizen and that in the future, he will likely return to his home country, the United Kingdom, according to ABC11.
After the attack, doctors believed Vogler would have to stay in the hospital for six months. According to his GoFundMe, he was discharged from the hospital on Oct. 21, 2025, roughly three months earlier than expected.
This undated photo provided by the City of Danville shows Danville City councilmember Lee Vogler, who was set on fire at his office in Danville, Virginia, on July 30, 2025. (City of Danville)
That same day, Vogler attended his first city council meeting since the attack and was warmly welcomed back by his colleagues.
“Recovery remains a long road—months to years—and will include orthopedic surgeries for a condition called heterotopic ossification, as well as future cosmetic and laser procedures to improve functionality, range of motion, and everyday independence,” Blair Vogler wrote in a December 2025 update on the GoFundMe. “One of Lee’s greatest challenges right now is working to regain use of the left hand due to nerve damage.”
Vogler was elected to the city council in 2012 at the age of 24, making him the youngest person to ever be ascend to that position.
