JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Prosecutors in Florida say they'll seek the death penalty in the case of a man accused of setting fire to his girlfriend inside a buffet restaurant where she worked.
Darryl Whipple pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in court Tuesday. At the hearing, prosecutors filed notice saying they intended to seek the death penalty at trial against the 58-year-old man for the attack Oct. 12 at a Golden Corral eatery in Jacksonville.
Authorities say Whipple doused his girlfriend, 56-year-old Carol Demmons, with lighter fluid and ignited her with a lighter as she ran from the restaurant.
Jacksonville television station WJXT reported that Demmons had burns on almost two-thirds of her body and later died at a hospital.