August 25, 2003
Albany-- An Albany woman will spend four years in prison for torching her boyfriend's house while he and his son were inside.
Forty-year-old Gloria Smith says she set the house on fire after a shocking revelation about her boyfriend's sexual preference.
Five months after the fire, Lewis Redmond's Cason Avenue home looks much the same as it did March 28th, when his long-time girlfriend, 40-year-old Gloria Smith, set it on fire.
"The reason is she was mad," said Smith's Attorney Hugh Morris. "She was mad at her boyfriend who told her that night that instead of liking her, he had turned gay and was liking men."
"Gloria Smith was so angry, she torched her boyfriend's house," said Dougherty D.A. Ken Hodges. "With Lewis Redmond and his 20-year-old son asleep inside, Gloria Smith got a container of gasoline, poured it on a living room sofa, and set it on fire. Lewis Redmond was severely burned."
"He was in the Augusta Burn unit for three days, he had to be medivac over there and he had extensive burns all over his body." Smith was ordered today to pay more than $50,000 in medical bills from Redmond's injuries. She was also sentenced to ten years in prison, four years to serve.
Her attorney says Smith, who had no prior criminal record, is sorry. "The only thing she has every said was that she did it, she regrets it and is very sorry."
Very sorry for hurting the man she planned to marry. Lewis Redmond is expected to make a full recovery from his burn injuries.
posted at 3:35PM by dave.miller@walb.com
Gloria Smith (Source: Dougherty Co. Jail)
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