Woman Allegedly Set Her Boyfriend's Head On Fire As He Slept

A 29-year-old woman from Milwaukee has been arrested after allegedly setting her longtime boyfriend's head on fire while he slept in their home.

Officers from the Milwaukee Police Department were called to a residence near to Center Street and Carlton Place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 3 after receiving reports of a fire at the home.

A 29-year-old man was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries by the emergency services, while Tuhonsty Marie Smith was arrested in relation to the fire, which police described as a domestic incident.

She was later charged with arson of building, mayhem, domestic abuse assessments and first-degree recklessly endangering safety, according to Milwaukee Police Department records.

While recovering in hospital, the victim told investigators that he had been in a relationship with Smith for more than 8 years, but felt like he had needed to be cautious around her over the last 3 or 4 months as she started to act strangely, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS 58.

He claimed that Smith had been keeping her medication bottles in the couple's basement and taking more than she had been prescribed. He also said that he was concerned that the 29-year-old was huffing paint in the basement.

The unnamed man said that when he arrived at the couple's home after finishing work at around 2:30 p.m. on June 2, Smith would not talk to him and was "pacing around the house."

The victim told investigators that he argued with Smith later in the evening when he told her he was going to move out of their home, and claimed that her "weird" behavior increased for the rest of the day.

He said that after he went to bed, Smith set his head on fire, causing him to suffer second and third-degree burns all over his upper body, including on his head, chest, neck and face.

According to CBS 58, investigators wrote in the criminal complaint that Smith told them that she thought that the chicken wings she ate earlier in the day had been poisoned by her boyfriend.

Smith allegedly said that she then waited for him to fall asleep before filling a cup full of lighter fluid and pouring it on his head, before igniting it with a lighter. She said that she did not plan to kill him.

The 29-year-old will appear in court for the first time on June 9, and is currently being held in custody on a $25,000 bail.

Newsweek has contacted the Milwaukee Police Department for comment.