Woman Claims Ex Fell Into Fireplace; He Tells Very Different Story After Regaining Ability to Speak

Kalena Stubbs, 51, was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated assault in Madison County Circuit Court; per District Attorney John K. "Bubba" Bramlett, the two-decade sentence is the maximum allowed under law.

The sentencing comes nearly a year after the Madison County Sheriff's Department responded to the unnamed victim's home on January 16, following a call about someone who had been burned.

When they arrived, they found the victim "severely burned all over his torso, upper arms, and face." Immediately, however, something seemed off at the scene, as investigators noticed the clothes he was wearing weren't burned at all. Stubbs was then questioned at the home and, per the DA, told authorities she had "changed his clothes before calling 911"; she also claimed that the man had fallen into the fireplace while "holding a bottle of lighter fluid."

This also didn't line up with what investigators witnessed, however, as they noted that while there was an open bottle of lighter fluid on the mantle, it "did not appear to have come into contact with an open flame."

Stubbs was "immediately" eyed as a suspect, but the man's injuries prevented him from pointing the finger at her for months.

"He was transported from the scene by AirCare to UMMC and eventually spent months in several different out of state burn units and nursing homes while trying to recover from third degree burns covering his entire upper body," said the DA in a release.

Then, once he "finally regained his ability to speak," he told a very different version of events.

"He indicated that Stubbs had doused him with lighter fluid and set him on fire while they were arguing," wrote the DA, noting that "this was consistent with the burn locations and patterns on his body."

In a statement, Bramlett said, "The injuries this victim suffered were horrific and some of the most severe we have seen. We appreciate the dedication the Sheriff’s Department showed in working this case including the continued follow-up with the victim and his family as he worked to recover."

He concluded, "I know that his injuries will affect him for the rest of his life, and we hope that this sentence gives him some sense that justice has been done."