DANVILLE, Va. (WGHP) — The man who set a Danville councilman on fire will spend the next 40 years in prison.
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Shotsie Buck-Hayes pleaded guilty to his charges in April after he set Danville city councilman Lee Vogler on fire in July 2025.

On Thursday, the judge announced that Buck-Hayes will serve 40 years in prison, followed by a 5-year probation term.
Buck-Hayes will also be required to be on good behavior for the rest of his life, as well as court supervision.
The judge sentenced Buck-Hayes beyond the recommended guidelines for attempted first-degree murder, which are 5 to 12 years in prison. Buck-Hayes’s attorney says he has already asked them for an appeal of his sentence.
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Background
According to warrants, police arrived at the offices of Showcase Magazine on July 30, 2025. They were told by the victim, Lee Vogler, a Danville city councilman, 38, that Buck-Hayes, 29, burned him.
After Buck-Hayes was taken into custody, police claim he “admitted that he had dumped gasoline” onto Vogler and told officials that he intended to kill Vogler.


“The defendant [Buck-Hayes] identified he set someone on fire,” said Danville Police Sgt. G.A. Clay during a September 2025 hearing.
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