UPDATE: Athens man charged with setting elderly woman on fire

ATHENS, Tennessee (WDEF) – The McMinn County man who is accused of setting his grandmother on fire now faces first degree murder charges.

Thirty year old Tysheen Walton has been in jail since that incident on July 5th.

His grandmother, whose named has not been released by the Athens police department,  has died in a hospital from her burns.

Walton is held with no bond.

PREVIOUS STORY: JULY 6, 2018 3:51 PM

ATHENS, Tennessee (WDEF) A man has been charged with setting an elderly woman on fire.

It happened just after noon on Thursday at a home on North Avenue.

Officers were called for a man causing a disturbance.

When they got there, they found two men fighting in the front yard.

Then they heard a woman screaming inside the home.

They took Tysheen Walton into custody.

When they got inside, they found the woman on fire.

They were able to get her out of the home which had also caught on fire.

She was airlifted to the hospital for treatment.

They say they learned that the man fighting Walton was trying to defend the woman.

Walton faces charges of Attempted First Degree Murder, Aggravated Arson, Vandalism, and Aggravated Domestic Assault.

Chief Couch, of the Athens Police Department, said “I commend the officers and firefighters who rushed into danger to help this unfortunate lady. However, this is obviously a tragic time for the family involved in this incident. I hope the community will join me in keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.”