The man who is accused of setting Danville City Council member Lee Vogler on fire last summer pleaded not guilty to all three charges related to the attack at an arraignment Wednesday.
A jury trial is scheduled to begin April 20.
In October, Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes, 30, was indicted on charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding and breaking and entering with intent to commit murder while armed with a deadly weapon.
He was arrested and charged on July 30, hours after Vogler was attacked and set on fire outside his workplace.
The plea comes after the court approved an additional defense attorney and a psychological evaluation of the suspect, who was born in the U.K., that determined he was competent to stand trial.
Buck-Hayes appeared in Danville Circuit Court for his arraignment with both of his attorneys, Edward Lavado and Matthew Pack.
After entering the plea, he asked Judge James Reynolds, “Could I speak with my lawyers just briefly about the statement I just made?” Buck-Hayes, Lavado and Pack then left the courtroom for a few minutes before returning.
Buck-Hayes then answered questions from the judge confirming his understanding of the not-guilty plea.
He also opted to be tried by a jury, rather than by a judge, in a trial that begins with jury selection April 20 and may take the entire week.
Vogler was at his workplace July 30 when a man police later identified as Buck-Hayes entered the office, doused him with a flammable liquid and lit him on fire, according to the Danville Police Department.
He was airlifted to the burn unit at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill immediately after the attack to receive treatment for second- and third-degree burns to over half of his body.
He was released in October, months earlier than expected, and attended the Oct. 21 city council meeting on his first day back in Danville, which was his first public appearance since the attack.
Vogler has continued physical and occupational therapy since returning to Danville, and he has had a laser surgery to address scarring from the burns. Since he’s been back, Vogler has been attending city council meetings and other local events.
Buck-Hayes told police that he had attacked Vogler — and planned to kill him — because Vogler had had an affair with his wife. Vogler has said he won’t talk about Buck-Hayes or the alleged motive, citing the ongoing case.
The maximum sentence for attempted first-degree murder is 10 years in prison, and the maximum sentence for aggravated malicious wounding is 20 years to life, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Newman.
For the third charge of breaking and entering with intent to commit murder while armed with a deadly weapon, the maximum sentence is also 20 years to life, he said.
