Love triangle twist that explains why woman was set on fire outside store in horrifying attack

A antheral accused of dousing his woman successful petrol and mounting her connected occurrence already had 2 children with her sister, who dumped him conscionable weeks earlier.

Ashanti Downey suffered superior burns to 70 per cent of her assemblage successful the onslaught adjacent Sanford, North Carolina, connected December 16 - 2 weeks earlier her 21st birthday.

Her fellow Jami Raiziah Griffin, 23, was arrested connected December 27 and charged with attempted murder, battle with a deadly limb inflicting superior injury, and home assault.

Griffin's motives are unknown, but sources adjacent to the household told DailyMail.com Ashanti was dating him down her sister Beyoncé's back.

Griffin and Beyoncé, 23, person 2 sons, aged 1 and astir three, and were an point until they broke up astir a period earlier Ashanti was attacked.

Beyoncé told DailyMail.com they were 'co-parenting' until she discovered helium was dating her estranged sister and she had moved in.

'I stopped each of that [letting him spot their kids] erstwhile I recovered retired she was staying down determination with him,' she said.

'I wasn't aggravated with my sister due to the fact that I don't talk to her, but helium knows better.'

Beyoncé said she and Ashanti were adjacent arsenic children but grew isolated to the constituent wherever they hadn't spoken successful years and she hadn't visited her successful hospital.

'I don't know, I conscionable don't speech to her... it conscionable happens implicit time,' she said.

Beyoncé said she didn't cognize if her sister started dating earlier they broke up, but that their narration didn't extremity for immoderate peculiar reason.

She said Griffin ne'er deed her, but could beryllium verbally abusive, aggressive, and immoderate arguments escalated into pushing and shoving.

'Not rather that bad... It was ne'er thing similar what the concern they got going on,' she said.

'Everybody has their ain opinions, I know, and I don't cognize what's going on, but, honestly, me just knowing him and having kids with him I honestly couldn't spot him doing that [lighting idiosyncratic connected fire], but that's conscionable my opinion.'

Beyoncé said she lived with their mother Donecia Davis portion Ashanti was surviving with Griffin erstwhile she was attacked, and earlier that with their father.

She and Griffin threw a babe ablution connected January 29, 2022, to hole for their archetypal child's arrival.

'A caller small prince is connected the mode and tin hardly wait, truthful articulation america for immoderate royal amusive and assistance america celebrate!' an invitation read.

Davis posted photos of the lawsuit connected societal media, showing the mates posing successful beforehand of a celebratory banner.

Another photograph showed Beyoncé successful the mediate with Griffin and Davis holding her babe bump, each lasting successful beforehand of their home.

But 2 years aboriginal Griffin was alternatively dating her younger sister, seemingly without the cognition of the parent of his child.

'Beyoncé didn't know Ashanti and Jami were dating down her back,' a root said.

How agelong the brace were two-timing Beyoncé, and what led to their falling retired and Griffin's alleged effort to termination her, is unclear.

Griffin's mother Latonya Renee Murchison, 44, was besides arrested, connected New Year's Eve, and charged arsenic an accessory aft the fact.

The Harnett County Sheriff's Office alleged she knew what her lad did, but tried to assistance him flight by picking him up from the scene.

She past allegedly tried to get escaped of Ashanti's apparel to screen up the attack, failed to interaction police, and gave mendacious accusation to detectives.

Ashanti was walking to a Dollar General successful Sanford erstwhile Griffin allegedly ran up and doused her successful gasoline, past ignited it with a cigarette.

The country she was attacked is simply a desolate agelong of roadworthy astir 14 miles southeast of downtown Sanford, conscionable northbound of the township of Barbecue. 

Police initially said 3 radical were progressive successful the attack, but Davis wrote successful different delated station that the different 2 got acold feet and ran away, leaving Griffin to attack Ashanti alone.

The brace past presented themselves to constabulary arsenic witnesses, she claimed. No 1 different than Griffin and his parent has been charged.

Davis started a fundraiser for Ashanti's aesculapian expenses that has attracted astir $112,000 successful donations from 2,700 radical truthful far.

They included $100 from Davina Licon, a bodybuilder who suffered third-degree burns to 30 per cent of her assemblage successful 2023, aged 20 like Ashanti, by a antheral whose romanticist advances she rejected.

'There was galore times wherever one could person died. I recognize what Ashanti is going done and what she volition proceed to spell through. I americium present if she ever needs idiosyncratic to speech to and subordinate to,' Licon wrote.

Davis wrote that her girl suffered third-degree burns to the full close broadside of her assemblage and had a agelong betterment up of her.

'Due to the hatred of an idiosyncratic oregon individuals, her beingness volition beryllium everlastingly changed. No genitor should person to spot their kid successful the information my girl is in,' she wrote.

Ashanti had to observe her day successful hospital, wherever friends and household crowded into her room.

Davis wrote successful the past update to the fundraiser that Ashanti had her 3rd country connected January 6, wherever she underwent much agonizing tegument grafts..

'She unluckily is successful a batch of symptom and is expected owed to the grade of her injuries,' Davis wrote.

'She volition besides stay immobile owed to the contractor that she has to deterioration to support her limb inactive and propped up owed to the grafting of her full arm. 

'She is inactive successful ICU but is successful unchangeable condition.'

Davis said her security would screen immoderate of Ashanti's aesculapian expense, but the excess outgo of the lengthy infirmary stay, aboriginal surgeries, and rehab would adhd up.

She besides took 12 weeks disconnected work, overmuch of which was unpaid, to beryllium by her daughter's side. 

Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said constabulary were 'mystified' by Griffin's motives, but believed it to beryllium a home incident.

Griffin is down bars at Harnett County Detention Center connected a $1 cardinal bond, portion Murchison was held connected $500,000 bail.