A Friday evening turned into a nightmare for a California family when a woman was allegedly set on fire by her husband of 10 years — an attack that has left her children reeling.
Sean Hoffman, 42, is accused of intentionally dousing his wife, Sheena, with a highly flammable liquid and setting her on fire, according to KFSN. He was arrested at the scene.
Tulare County sheriff’s deputies were called to the couple’s home in Porterville around 5:30 p.m. Friday. They found Sheena, a mother of seven, suffering from severe burns to her face, arms, and torso.
Sheena’s adult son, Michael Post, told KFSN that he was at his own home when he got a call from his sister about his mother and stepfather that changed everything.
“She was like, ‘You need to get to mom’s house now,” Post said. “Your stepdad just covered her in gasoline and said he’s going to light her on fire.’”
He said his mother and Hoffman had been married for about a decade and shared a blended family with seven children. While he never saw physical violence between them, he said their arguments were frequent.
“Her home is where everybody goes to. It’s always like if anybody needs anything, they call her,” Post said. “She’s always the one who runs to people’s rescue if they need it.”
Sheena was airlifted to Bakersfield Memorial Hospital’s burn unit. She remains in stable condition but faces a long road to recovery, Post said.
The family has created a GoFundMe to help with expenses as Sheena continues her recovery.
“I never dreamed I would have to be doing this but my mother Sheena was badly burned yesterday due to a horrific domestic violence incident,” Post wrote.
“We’re asking for donations to help with gas, and food for my siblings and I and hopefully we raise enough to help with my mom’s bills until she can fully recover.”
Hoffman faces charges of aggravated assault and arson. He remains behind bars at the South County Detention Center.
