Shotsie Buck-Hayes was sentenced to 40 years in prison for setting Danville council member Lee Vogler on fire during a July 30, 2025 attack. The guilty plea came in April, and testimony described burns covering 60% of Vogler’s body as the sentencing carried ha
DANVILLE, Va. — In Danville Circuit Court on Thursday, a visibly scarred Lee Vogler faced the man who set him on fire last year, and for the council member and his family, the moment brought a sharp mix of pain and finality.
Shotsie Buck-Hayes, who pleaded guilty in April, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after the July 30, 2025 attack on Vogler. Witnesses told the court that Buck-Hayes walked into Vogler’s Danville office with a bucket of gasoline, doused him, chased him from the building and set him ablaze.
Buck-Hayes pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding.
Vogler’s burns were described in court by Blair Vogler, the council member’s wife. She testified that Vogler’s burns covered 60% of his body.
On Thursday. Vogler and his family attended the hearing. where the visibly scarred councilman made an emotional statement about how the attack had altered his life. Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman said Buck-Hayes also spoke. offering what he claimed to be an apology while repeating that he was motivated by an alleged affair between Vogler and Buck-Hayes’ wife.
Circuit Judge James Reynolds imposed the sentence in two parts: 10 years in prison on the attempted murder charge, with five years suspended, and life in prison for the malicious wounding count, suspending all but 35 years. The total sentence was 40 years.
Newman said Reynolds’ punishment on the wounding count went well beyond what the citizen guidelines called for. noting that the judge imposed triple the sentence on that charge. Newman said he was glad the court treated the case as an aggravating one and moved above the guidelines “to hopefully hold this defendant accountable for this horrific act.”.
As part of Buck-Hayes’ April 1 plea, a breaking and entering charge was dropped.
Danville Virginia Lee Vogler Shotsie Buck-Hayes sentencing attempted first-degree murder aggravated malicious wounding gasoline attack Virginia council member Danville Circuit Court