Riverton man gets 16-20 year sentence in fiery death

RIVERTON – A Riverton man was sentenced to 16-20 years in prison for his role in the April Main Street house fire that killed Eve Newton, 48.

Vurnon Murice Doney, 55, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend and was sentenced Friday.

Newton was killed in the early morning hours of April 26 after Doney poured a mix of gas and oil through the house, then lit the fire with a cigarette while Newton laid in bed.

Doney himself called police that morning to the 1200 block of East Main Street and said a woman was “possibly” trapped inside. Firefighters found Newton deceased, lying half off her bed and clutching what appeared to be a pair of jeans; first responders noted the smell of accelerant at the scene.

Doney told Riverton Detective Bhagya Nethicumera that he and Newton had been arguing inside the home when he decided to spend the night in his van and drive his motorcycle to work in the morning. Doney said he needed to mix gas and oil for the cycle, and he went to retrieve a gas can from a bathroom. He and Newton again argued, and Doney claimed he spilled the gas and oil mix in the living room, two bedrooms and the bathroom, then lit a cigarette just outside Newton’s bedroom, which ignited the blaze.

Fire investigators said the fire likely started inside Newton’s bedroom at the foot of her bed. An autopsy noted soot was found inside her lungs, meaning she was alive at the time of the fire.

This story was published on September 18, 2024.