Skip to main content

Florida Woman Doused With Gas, Set on Fire

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on June 13, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Florida woman was doused with gasoline and set on fire at a 7-Eleven in a horrific crime caught on tape.

The woman, who is not being identified, is being treated for severe burns, police in Boynton Beach, Fla., told The Palm Beach Post. Her ex-boyfriend, 59-year-old Roosevelt Mondesir, was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder.

The woman met Mondesir at the 7-Eleven, where they were supposed to exchange custody of their 4-year-old son. But the boy, who was in Mondesir's custody, was not there.

With a history of alleged violence between Roosevelt Mondesir and the woman, the woman started to leave, the Post reports.

That's when Mondesir grabbed a gas canister from his Jaguar and allegedly doused the woman with gasoline.

Surveillance video shows the gas-soaked woman running inside the store and using her body to keep the door shut. But Mondesir, armed with a long knife, forced the door open. He allegedly set the woman on fire as she ran away.

The incident happened shortly before 3 a.m. Monday. Police found Mondesir hiding in nearby bushes about 5:45 a.m. They found the knife and gas container in his car.

Mondesir appeared in court Tuesday, and a judge denied bail. He also denied Mondesir's request for a public defender, because Mondesir's income was too high.

Under Florida law, attempted murder can be punished by a lengthy prison sentence. Defenses include abandonment -- renouncing any criminal intent -- and self-defense. Neither seems to apply in Roosevelt Mondesir's alleged dousing of a woman with gas and setting her on fire.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard