Left: Beth Bakken. Right: The van Bakken allegedly set on fire with her boyfriend trapped inside near Bozeman, Montana (KBZK).
A Montana woman allegedly torched a van with her on-again, off-again boyfriend trapped alive in a rear compartment, later telling a pal “I lit his a— on fire. He”s a d—.”
The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:41 a.m. Wednesday to a vehicle fire near 18 Bedivere Boulevard in the King Arthur Trailer Court west of Bozeman. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found a white Dodge van on fire. Once they extinguished the flames, they found 44-year-old Robert Welch dead inside.
Cops later arrested 51-year-old Beth Bakken on charges of deliberate homicide and arson.
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An arrest report obtained by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle revealed firefighters found Welch in the rear passenger compartment of the van. An autopsy reportedly showed he died of smoke inhalation, meaning he was still alive when Bakken allegedly set the van ablaze.
Deputies later spotted Bakken running across the street about a half-mile from the scene. In an interview with detectives, she described an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Welch, who she claimed was “physically abusive.” Cops said they have had several interactions with the couple.
Investigators also spoke with one of Bakken’s friends, who said she received a call shortly after the fire. Bakken reportedly told her about Welch, saying, “I lit his a— on fire. He’s a d—.”
Cellphone location data placed Bakken in the area at the time of the fire, police said.
The suspect remains at the Gallatin County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. She’s next slated to appear in court on Nov. 14.
