WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A North Carolina man is accused of murdering his 72-year-old mother after saturating her body in gasoline and burning her alive on Monday, law enforcement authorities said.
Officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department responded about 10:39 a.m. to Lyons Street regarding reports that someone had been set on fire, according to a press release.
Police discovered Joanna Parker, 72, was fully engulfed in flames on the porch of her home. Officers were able to extinguish the fire and get her to the hospital, but she did not survive, reported The Charlotte Observer.
Investigation revealed that James Parker, 48, the victim’s son, doused her in gasoline and torched the woman since he was upset with her. It’s unclear exactly what drove him to this kind of barbaric behavior.
Parker was taken into custody and charged with his mother’s murder.
It is the 22nd homicide in the city this year.
