A Marion County man was jailed on attempted first-degree murder and arson charges after deputies said he poured gasoline on his wife and set a fire during a late-November argument over divorce at their Ocala home. The suspect, identified as 51-year-old Alfonza Green, suffered burns before deputies arrived and was later booked into the county jail without bond.
Authorities said the confrontation unfolded on Nov. 30 inside a bedroom where the woman was sitting on her bed using her phone. According to an arrest affidavit, Green emerged from the bathroom, dressed, and the woman suddenly felt a “cold” liquid soak her clothes and bedding. When she demanded to know what was happening, he allegedly declared, “If I die, we both gonna die together,” then produced a lighter. Investigators said a fire ignited in the room and the woman struggled to escape as Green, who also caught fire, tried to block the door. The house held several other people at the time, including the woman’s 11-year-old grandson. No other injuries were reported.
Deputies and medics were dispatched to the address in southeast Ocala after neighbors reported smoke and someone “on fire” in the home. Responding units found Green with visible burns and the woman drenched in gasoline, records state. Fire crews contained the blaze to the bedroom area and ventilated the home while deputies separated witnesses. The woman told investigators she had asked for a divorce and pleaded with her husband not to light the fuel. She said she realized it was gasoline only after feeling the chill on her skin and smelling fumes in the room. “Don’t do this,” she recalled saying, describing a scramble to get past him and into the hallway.
In a recorded interview after he was read his rights, Green told detectives he was “tired of living,” according to the affidavit. He claimed he poured gas on the bed and set the mattress alight after his wife left the room, denying that he intentionally poured fuel on her. Investigators wrote that physical evidence and witness accounts contradicted parts of that explanation. Deputies noted burn patterns consistent with a fuel splash and said multiple people in the house described hearing a struggle and smelling gasoline before the flames. Green was treated for burns and then taken to the Marion County Jail.
The affidavit quotes additional remarks attributed to the suspect that investigators say captured his intent. As the woman tried to move around him, he allegedly repeated variations of the phrase, “If I go, you go with me,” and “We both gonna die today.” Detectives said those statements, combined with the close-quarters ignition of a volatile accelerant, supported probable cause for attempted premeditated murder. Arson counts were added based on the destruction inside the bedroom and the risk to other occupants, including a child in the home who was not physically hurt.
Records indicate six people besides the couple were inside the residence when the fire started. Deputies evacuated the home and accounted for everyone as medics checked for smoke inhalation. The sheriff’s office said the case remains an active domestic-violence investigation. The woman’s name was not released. Officials said victim services were offered, and the agency would coordinate with child-welfare partners because a minor was present during the incident.
Neighbors told deputies they heard shouting before seeing smoke, and one person reported hearing someone say a man had “lit himself on fire.” Damage assessments documented a scorched mattress, charred bedding and significant soot in the bedroom and hallway. Investigators photographed a lighter recovered near the foot of the bed and collected clothing saturated with a petroleum odor for testing. Fire personnel reported that the rapid flash and intense heat were consistent with a small volume of gasoline igniting in a confined space.
Green made his initial appearance earlier this week, where a judge ordered him held without bond on the attempted murder charge and scheduled further proceedings. Prosecutors are reviewing the case file, including interviews, medical reports and fire-scene documentation. If formally charged, Green would be arraigned in circuit court; additional counts could be added as lab results and damage estimates come in. Court records show no plea entered as of Thursday.
As of Thursday evening, the sheriff’s office said the woman was recovering and staying with relatives, the home was secured, and investigators were awaiting additional lab results. The next milestone is a formal charging decision and a hearing date on the no-bond status in Marion County Circuit Court.
Author note: Last updated December 19, 2025.