Inset: Daniel N. Pace (Peoria County Jail). The apartment complex where Pace set his ex-girlfriend on fire (Google Maps).
A 43-year-old man in Illinois will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars for dousing his ex-girlfriend in vodka and setting her on fire, leaving nearly one-third of her body covered in burns. Tenth Circuit Judge Stephen A. Kouri on Wednesday handed down the maximum sentence of 60 years in prison to Daniel N. Pace, authorities announced.
A jury in May found Pace guilty on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated domestic battery, with the court also determining that he acted with “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior, indicative of wanton cruelty.”
Under the state”s “Truth in Sentencing” laws, individuals convicted of certain violent offenses, as Pace was, are required to serve at least 85% of their sentence.
According to a news release from the Peoria County State Attorney’s Office, the horrid attack took place on Aug. 19, 2022, at the Landmark Apartment Complex in the 700 block of North Shipman Street. Pace and the victim had gotten into an argument and at some point, Pace “grabbed a bottle of vodka, poured it over her head, and then flicked a lighter — not once, but twice — setting her ablaze,” per the release.
The victim suffered severe and permanent injuries, with prosecutors saying that the burns covered 30% of her body, “including third-degree burns on 19% of her skin.”
Pace’s victim penned a “powerful” victim impact statement that was read aloud in court during the sentencing hearing in which she described the effect the attack had on her life.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
“She’s lost two jobs, and she may never be able to work again due to her injuries,” prosecutors wrote in the release. “The physical pain remains a daily struggle, but it’s not just the burns that have affected her; it’s the emotional, mental, and financial toll as well. Years later, she continues to battle daily pain and struggles to trust others, adding that it is something she wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
The judge also had some choice words for Pace, unleashing a stream of invectives against the convicted abuser, according to reporting from Peoria NBC and ABC affiliate WEEK.
“I think that Mr. Pace is an incredibly violent person,” Kouri reportedly told the court. “In all my years as a judge, I have thought it but never said it. I think that you are an incredibly evil person. I think we need a break from you.”
At one point, Pace, who has reportedly abused numerous women dating back to the early 2000s, interrupted the judge and tried to plead his case.
“Most times, I was getting the bad end of the stick,” he said, per WEEK. “These relationships, they were not good on both sides.”
Prosecutors also told the court that in addition to hospitalizing the victim at least once every month of their relationship, he also kept her locked in the apartment for four days after setting her on fire and refused to allow her to get medical attention.
Pace maintained that the victim’s injuries were the result of an “accident” that happened while they were using drugs.
