Courtenay Robertson, 34, of Gadsden was found guilty today in Madison County Circuit Court Division I. The jury deliberated a little less than an hour and a half before returning guilty verdicts on Attempted Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Arson, Aggravated Assault, and Felony Evading Arrest. He was previously being held on a $250,000 bond. After being convicted, his bond was immediately revoked. He will be held with no bond pending sentencing on July 13. The jury assessed the maximum amount of fines on all counts, which totaled $88,000. He faces up to 66 years in prison, 40 of which are without the possibility of parole.
RECAP:
On November 24, 2007, around 5:20 a.m., Jackson police received a call to an apartment in the 500 block of Daugherty Street. Officers found a then 33-year old Jackson woman who had been severely burned. She told police that her boyfriend, Courtenay Robertson, had doused her with rubbing alcohol and set her on fire. A witness provided a detailed description of the vehicle that he used to flee the scene.
Police began an extensive search for Robertson and his vehicle. A short time later, police spotted him. Officers pursued the vehicle down Christmasville Road
to the area of Greenview Drive in Madison County. He fled from the vehicle and ran into a wooded area. The J
ackson Police Helicopter "Air-One" was able to locate him lying in a wooded area. He was taken into custody.
The victim spent over three months recovering in a Memphis hospital and suffered second degree burns over 60 percent of her body.
The prosecuting attorney for the State of Tennessee was Assistant District Attorney Jody Pickens.
