A Philadelphia man has been charged with homicide, arson, and other related offenses after he threw gasoline on his girlfriend while she was smoking and she caught on fire.
Kevin Small admitted to police that he had become angry with his girlfriend, Melissa Bacon-Smith, and that he had gone to a WaWa gas station following their argument. He returned with a cup of gasoline to their motel room, and Small said that Bacon-Smith “laughed” at him when he set the cup down on the television. He then threw his arm out, and the gasoline in the cup reached Bacon-Smith, who was smoking.
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Bacon-Smith caught on fire after the gasoline struck her face and reached out to grab Small by the arm and say, “Kevin,” before he pulled away from her and left.
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A desk clerk said that she had entered the room after receiving a report of a person on fire. When she opened the door, she saw a person on the bed who was on fire and yelling, but she was unable to get inside because of the flames and instead moved to evacuate the entire motel.
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When Small was being led away in handcuffs, he told reporters he was “sorry” and that he had “lost it” and “hurt someone he loved.”