A 42-year-old California man, Sean Hofmann, is accused of dousing his wife of 10 years in gasoline and setting her on fire in Porterville. He is now in custody while his wife, Sheena, is recovering at a local hospital.
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According to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), the incident occurred on Friday, October 10. At around 5:30 p.m., TCSO deputies responded to an Avenue 120 residence in Porterville after receiving a medical aid report.
Upon arrival, they found a woman who had been severely burned in the face, arms, and torso. Deputies learned that Hofmann had allegedly “poured a highly flammable accelerant on or near the victim” and then set her on fire.
The victim, identified as Sheena Hofmann by KFSN, was airlifted to a local hospital, where she remains in stable condition. Meanwhile, Hofmann was taken into custody.
A Broken Family
Michael Post, Sheena’s son, told the outlet that he learned about the incident from his sister. She had called him frantically about what Hofmann, Post’s stepfather, had allegedly done.
“She was like, ‘You need to get to mom’s house now. Your stepdad just covered her in gasoline and said he’s going to light her on fire,'” Post told the outlet.
Post, horrified, saw his mother being airlifted to the Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.
He revealed that Sheena had been married to Hofmann for 10 years, and they have seven children in total. Throughout their marriage, no physical violence had occurred, Post detailed. However, verbal arguments were frequent.
Now, Michael and his siblings face the disheartening crimes Sean Hofmann allegedly committed. To them, Sheena is an exemplary mother who didn’t deserve what happened to her.
“Her home is where everybody goes to,” Post added. “It’s always like if anybody needs anything, they call her. She’s always the one who runs to people’s rescue if they need it.”
As per Law & Crime, Sean Hofmann was charged with aggravated assault and arson. He is currently being held at the Tulare County Jail on a $1 million bond.
A GoFundMe was launched by Michael Post to help support his mother.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org​ or by texting “START” to 88788.