DURANT, Okla. – A former MMA fighter has been given five life sentences after a violent attack on a woman in Durant.
Nehemiah Hellems, 36, stayed with his aunt while on parole in March for kidnapping.
Police tell KXII Hellems called the woman home from work and accused her of stealing his meth and threatened to kill her dog.
Hellems brutally beat her for more than 8 hours. Police say Hellems choked her several times until she was unconscious and then set her on fire.
“She had been beaten beyond recognition,” said one neighbor. “Her face had been singed, her face had been burned, her hair all singed, her arm is broke. And come to find out he had poured acetone on her and set her on fire.”
The woman suffered from a broken arm, intracranial bleeding, several cuts and numerous bruises.
The victim spent a week in intensive care and months recovering from her injuries.
As for the meth he thought she stole, it was later found in his shoe.