Man convicted of assault after North Kansas City woman was set on fire with gasoline
A Kansas City man has been found guilty of felony assault after he poured a container of gasoline on a woman and set her on fire last year, according to prosecutors.
Tyrieke R. Robinson, 26, was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree assault and armed criminal action this week following a jury trial in Clay County Circuit Court. He is accused of severely injuring the woman outside her North Kansas City home in an apparent targeted attack.
On Jan. 31, 2021, North Kansas City police officers were dispatched to the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Swift Street on a report of a woman who had been set on fire. The victim was severely burned and taken to an area hospital.
Prosecutors said Robinson was found nearby and taken into police custody.
During an interview with investigators, he allegedly admitted that he had gone to a gas station and pumped fuel into an empty bottle and then waited for the victim to leave work. He then followed her to her residence and dumped the gasoline on her before lighting the fire, prosecutors said.
In a statement Wednesday, Prosecuting Attorney Daniel White praised good Samaritans and family members who rushed to the victim’s aid after the fire was set.
The jury has recommended Robinson face the maximum possible penalty under Missouri law of life imprisonment for the assault conviction, according to prosecutors. Robinson is scheduled to be sentenced April 21.
Robinson is currently a prisoner at the Clay County jail.
