Missouri Man Charged With Murder After Setting Victim on Fire in Porch Attack That Burned 80% of His Skin

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – A 47-year-old Missouri man has been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson after allegedly setting a man on fire on his own porch — the latest in a series of arson attacks at the same residence, according to investigators.

“He Was Engulfed in Flames”

Authorities say Brandon Butchkoski fatally injured Donovan Baylis, 31, during a late-night arson attack on June 15, 2025, at a home on the 1500 block of Paris Road in Columbia.

Police said Butchkoski set a fire on the porch using a backpack filled with accelerants, including latex gloves stuffed with gasoline. When Baylis stepped outside to try extinguishing the flames, he stomped on the fire and was immediately engulfed in flames, burning over 80% of his body.

A probable cause statement quoted witnesses who recalled Baylis collapsing onto the concrete moments later as neighbors tried desperately to douse the fire with a garden hose.

“He sat on the retaining wall before falling backward,” one resident told police. “There was just a wall of fire.”

Baylis was rushed to the hospital but died nearly a month later on July 14 from his injuries.

Serial Arson Attacks

The investigation revealed that the home had been targeted by arson at least three times, with Butchkoski believed to be behind each incident.

Witnesses told police they heard “someone jostling around on the porch” before the fatal blaze. Officers later discovered a gas can on the railing and evidence linking Butchkoski to the scene.

Police said the suspect returned just two weeks later, on June 29, and threw another flaming backpack onto the home’s roof. Surveillance footage captured him carrying the accelerant-filled bag before igniting it.

Inside, officers found a cleaner bottle, drink container, and latex gloves filled with gasoline.

“This was a deliberate and repeated targeting of the same location,” police said in court documents.

Arrest and Background

Butchkoski was arrested on July 3 and initially charged with arson, but the case escalated to murder after Baylis succumbed to his injuries.

He remains jailed in Boone County awaiting trial.

According to records from the Columbia Missourian, Butchkoski is homeless and has a lengthy criminal history, including prior drug arrests and a weapons charge for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Residents of the Paris Road neighborhood say they’ve been left traumatized by the repeated fires and are now calling for improved safety measures for vulnerable housing areas.

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