Man pours vodka on girlfriend’s head and sets her on fire, IL officials say
A man fighting with his girlfriend dumped a bottle of vodka over her head and set her on fire, Illinois prosecutors said.
Daniel Pace, 43, caused severe burns covering 30% of his girlfriend’s body, inflicting injuries that caused a “daily struggle” since the August 2022 attack, the Peoria County Prosecutor’s Office said in a July 9 news release.
In handing down a 60-year prison sentence, the judge called Pace “an incredibly violent, evil person,” prosecutors said.
He was convicted of aggravated battery and aggravated domestic battery in May, officials said.
McClatchy News reached out to Pace’s public defender but did not immediately receive a response.
During a 1-day trial in May, Pace denied that he had purposely set his girlfriend of three years on fire while they were living together, according to prosecutors. Initially, he stated that she had set herself on fire, then said he set the fire accidentally, officials said in a May 3 news release.
Prosecutors said Pace used a blanket to extinguish the fire.
Third-degree burns cover 19% of the girlfriend’s skin, mainly on the right side of her body, according to prosecutors.
In a letter read during Pace’s sentencing hearing, the victim said the injuries caused her to lose two jobs and may prevent her from working again.
“The physical pain remains a daily struggle, but it’s not just the burns that have affected her; it’s the emotional, mental, and financial toll as well,” prosecutors said. “Years later, she continues to battle daily pain and struggles to trust others, adding that it is something she wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
Peoria is about a 165-mile drive southwest from Chicago.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Man pours vodka on girlfriend’s head and sets her on fire, IL officials say."
