Riverton Police: Woman Claims She Lit Man In Wheelchair On Fire In Self-Defense

Riverton police say a woman accused of dousing a man in a wheelchair with vodka and lighting him on fire claimed she acted in self-defense. Ozshnee Gray, born in 1999, made her first court appearance Friday on a felony charge of aggravated assault after she reportedly became angry when the man wouldn’t give her money to buy meth, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Riverton Police Department Lt. Amy Fyler.

Gray told police that she lit the man on fire because he and another man in a room at the Paintbrush Motel “were yelling at her and ‘coming at her’ … attempting to control her.” Gray stated she informed the man to stop approaching her or she would “do something.” The affidavit notes that the victim is in a wheelchair and unable to walk. The man suffered burns to his face and hair.

The May 6 altercation was reported to Riverton police at about 5:38 p.m. as a “suspicious circumstance.” While en route, dispatch informed the officer that the complainant had stated she attempted to light a male on fire and that she had a needle on her person. The woman making the 911 call was identified as Gray.

Gray told police it was self-defense when she grabbed a full bottle of vodka and poured it over the man’s head, then grabbed a lighter and lit him on fire. While speaking with Gray, officers asked whether anyone had prevented her from leaving the motel. She reportedly said no and told police she could have left at any time. When an officer asked why she did not leave, she said something to the effect of, “I should have but I’m not going to unless they tell me to leave.” Asked why she lit the man on fire, Gray responded, “to tell him to back off and quit coming at me.”

She also told police she had not been “high in forever” but admitted she was carrying a “point” on her. She voluntarily pulled a syringe from her pocket. The needle had been used, and a substance in the syringe tested presumptively positive for meth. Gray said the lighter she used was white and covered in little skulls; investigators later found a white lighter decorated with skulls inside the motel room.

Police also interviewed the victim, who had visible burns to his face and hair. He told officers Gray had been trying to get money for meth, but when he refused, she became angry, poured vodka on his head, and lit him on fire.

Gray was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and battery, third-degree arson, and possession of methamphetamine. If convicted on all three charges, she could face up to 20 years in prison. She is being held in the Fremont County Detention Center on a $20,000 cash-only bond. Gray has two prior convictions for possession of a controlled substance, which could subject her to an enhanced penalty if convicted again. She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in Fremont County Circuit Court on May 18.