A mother was swiftly taken to the hospital and put into a medically induced coma following allegations that she was soaked in gasoline and then set on fire. Sheriff’s deputies in Tulare County responded to a residence in Porterville at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 10, where they discovered a woman with severe burns on her face, arms, and torso. She was airlifted to Bakersfield Memorial Hospital’s burn unit, where she is currently in stable condition but faces a challenging path to recovery.
Sean Hoffman, aged 42, has been accused of intentionally pouring a highly flammable substance on the woman and igniting it, as reported by KFSN. He was apprehended at the scene. The victim, identified as Sean’s wife Sheena in a GoFundMe campaign initiated by her son, is described as being in intensive care at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital’s burn unit.
According to a Tulare County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, deputies found the woman with severe burns and learned that Sean Hofmann had deliberately used a highly flammable accelerant to set her on fire. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition, while Hofmann was arrested without resistance. Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact Detective Javier Montoya at (559)733-6218.
Hofmann is facing charges of attempted murder, torture, mayhem, arson causing great bodily harm, and domestic violence, with added enhancements for violent crimes involving injury, use of a deadly weapon, and alleged offenses while on bail. He entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment, as per KFSN.
To support the victim, donations can be made through the GoFundMe page. For those in need of assistance, the Samaritans offer a free helpline at 116 123, along with email support and local branch information available on their website.