Woman tried to 'scare' partner by 'dousing' her in alcohol, setting her ablaze during fatal Valentine's Day argument: Police

A 62-year-old Florida woman is accused of killing her partner, allegedly setting the victim on fire during a Valentine’s Day argument before telling authorities she intentionally “doused” the victim with rubbing alcohol and set her ablaze in an effort to “scare” the other woman.

Shannon Felice Stork was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with one count each of second-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm in connection with the death of her roommate and romantic partner, court records show.

Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded to an apartment building in Miami’s Brownsville neighborhood on Feb. 14, 2024, after receiving reports that two people had suffered severe burns to their upper bodies.

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When first responders arrived, they found Stork and the victim outside the apartment with extensive burns. Both were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with third-degree burns, the affidavit states.

The victim was initially conscious but later had to be intubated. She remained on life support until she died from her injuries on March 18, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., investigators wrote.

Stork initially claimed the fire was accidental, telling investigators she had been cleaning shoes with alcohol before lighting a cigarette, igniting the blaze.

But detectives said that account quickly began to unravel.

According to the affidavit, Stork provided investigators with a different version of events during an initial interview, and physical evidence documented inside the apartment contradicted the explanations she gave.

Investigators also enlisted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, whose agents conducted a series of reconstruction tests attempting to re-create the fire as Stork described it. Those efforts failed.

“ATF personnel confirmed that the defendant’s account of events were not possible to recreate,” the affidavit states.

More than two years later, on July 22, detectives brought Stork to the sheriff’s office homicide bureau for another interview after advising her of her Miranda rights.

According to investigators, she again offered conflicting accounts before acknowledging the couple had been experiencing “personal issues.”

She then admitted she intentionally sprayed isopropyl alcohol toward the victim, soaking her with the flammable liquid before igniting it.

The affidavit states Stork admitted she was “trying to scare the victim by squeezing a bottle of isopropyl alcohol toward the victim, dousing the victim in the liquid, and holding a flame to the liquid and the victim’s skin, causing the burn injuries to the victim.”

The arrest affidavit does not identify the victim by name or specify the nature of the dispute that preceded the fire.

According to the Miami Herald, the couple had been arguing on Valentine’s Day before the blaze erupted inside their apartment.

Investigators determined every version of the accidental-fire scenario Stork described was inconsistent with both the physical evidence and ATF testing, local Fox and ABC affiliate WSVN reported.

Stork is currently being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

The post Woman tried to ‘scare’ partner by ‘dousing’ her in alcohol, setting her ablaze during fatal Valentine’s Day argument: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.