Jan 09, 2025
MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Just before 3 a.m. Thursday off Children's Boulevard near the southbound ramp onto Highway 41, drivers near Valley Children's Hospital were left in shock as they reported a woman parked on the side of the road had set a man on fire. That woman has been identified as 56-year-old Jessie Equilla Brooks of Fresno. "This is just one of those truly unique and shocking instances where this is one of those things that happens maybe once in a career or it's extremely rare," said Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue. Sheriff Pogue says initial reports received indicated Brooks, the driver of the Mercedes sedan located on scene, had set fire to her passenger, a man believed to be her husband. They say the man, who has yet to be identified, was dead and still burning on arrival. "We're not entirely sure at this point if the man perished just from the fire or there was something else," said Pogue. "That will kind of be worked out in the autopsy." The Madera County Sheriff's Office says an accelerant was used to ignite the man's body. On scene, after not cooperating with responding deputies, they say Brooks was arrested and is facing a murder charge. While investigators cannot say yet as to whether the two were husband and wife, they can confirm there is some sort of connection between the two people. "This was an isolated incident and the persons were known to each other. So, it wasn't some random act of violence or anything else," said the sheriff. Pogue says they will release the man's identity when they can notify his next of kin with news of the incident. "Not very much happens out here. It's a quiet, very safe community and so, incidents like this are always shocking," he said.
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