June 10 – A woman who jumped from the top floor of her house to the ground after being engulfed in flames has died.
Township of Fairfield. Police Sergeant. Brandon McCroskey confirmed Brenda Scott, 50, of Liberty Twp., died of her injuries Friday afternoon.
On May 11, Scott was found on fire in his garden by a neighbour, who called 911. Police arrested Robbi Robinson, 23, after he was caught fleeing the house.
Robinson was initially charged with felony assault and aggravated arson and bail was set at $200,000 at trial. On May 19, bail was set at $1 million in Butler County Common Pleas Court and the charges were bolstered by a grand jury indictment of attempted aggravated murder, as well as felony assault. and aggravated arson.
“Our agency will continue to work closely with the Butler County District Attorney’s Office on their review of any new or additional charges,” McCroskey said in a press release Saturday.
At arraignment, defense attorney David Brewer pleaded not guilty on Robinson’s behalf and said he had filed a motion questioning his client’s ability to stand trial. Judge Keith Spaeth ordered a forensic psychological evaluation and set a hearing for June 15.
Butler County Assistant District Attorney Katie Pridemore asked the judge to set a high bond, describing the trauma Scott suffered, which included two teeth knocked out by the roots in addition to burns and injuries from jumping out of the window of the second floor.
At the time of the arrest, Robinson may have been having ‘suicidal ideation’, and while in the Butler County jail, phone calls to his family indicate he is trying to reach out to the victim , said Pridemore.
“The charges became much larger than the two charges in lower court,” Pridemore said. “The charges are particularly heinous and he poses a threat to society and especially to the victim.”
In jail, phone calls monitored, Robinson said he ‘wants someone to come into the hospital room, talk to the victim, talk him out of suing, drop the charges…’ Pridemore said .
If he was on bail, Pridemore said she believed he would try to gain access to the victim “to harm, harass and intimidate her.”
Scott’s family was front row in the courtroom for the arraignment, but they declined to comment.
Scott was in a bedroom at the Arroyo Ridge Court home at around 10.25am on May 11 when she was punched in the face. She was then doused with accelerant and set on fire, according to McCroskey and court documents.
Township of Fairfield. Fire Chief Timothy Thomas said his crews were called to the scene by a neighbor “to a woman on fire in the backyard” who may have fallen from a second-story window while she was in fire.
Editor Lauren Pack contributed to this report.
Firefighters found the woman in the yard with significant injuries and extinguished a fire in the house.
The neighbor called 911 and jumped a fence to help the woman.
“I see a small fire next to her and she’s lying in the garden,” the man told the dispatcher. “She’s talking to me. She’s very hurt.”
The woman can be heard in the background saying, “he set me on fire”.
The suspect, who was still at the residence, consumed gasoline, she said.
Then the caller said he saw smoke coming out of the house.
“He also set the house on fire, oh my God,” the caller said.
The man stayed with the injured woman ensuring his help was on the way. He told dispatchers he had a gun, but was worried about moving the woman. Dispatchers were also concerned for his safety since the suspect was believed to still be at the scene.