An Arkansas man who tried to blame bad wiring for the fire that killed his wife will spend the next few decades behind bars after he pleaded guilty to murder.

Bruce Lee Cockrell, 48, was sentenced on Thursday to 75 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder and arson in connection with the 2024 death of his wife, Tonya Marie Liggin-Cockrell, 35. According to court documents reviewed by Law&Crime, Cockrell doused his wife with "weed eater gas" after the couple had an argument on the night of July 8, 2024. When first responders arrived, Cockrell initially told police that the fire was caused by faulty "electrical work."

But Liggin-Cockrell, who had run out of the house while ablaze, was able to tell police what really happened.

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