Man Allegedly Decapitates Adoptive Mother, Sets House On Fire Because ‘Holy Sprit’ Told Him To

An Ohio man is accused of decapitating his adoptive mother in front of his 6-year-old nephew and then setting her body on fire after "holy spirits" told him that “she was the devil.”

Lionel Justin Gore, 34, was arrested Saturday on a charge of murder in the death of his adoptive mother Diane Gore, authorities said, reported WHDH.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call on Nov. 5 about a structure fire at 130 Cemetery Drive in New Matamoras. The Grandview Township Fire Department, detectives, state fire marshal and deputies responded to the residence belonging to Diane Gore.

Police discovered the grim scene around 6.30 p.m. The victim’s sister, Stephanie Williams, told police that she saw Lionel exit the residence, covered in blood when she arrived home. During a brief exchange, he told Williams to "get out of the way or I’ll kill you next" before hopping into Diane’s vehicle and fleeing the scene, according to the report.

Williams said she tried to locate Diane but could not get inside the house because of the fire’s intensity.

Detectives then talked to Lionel’s nephew, who was at the home during the incident. He told the officers that his uncle was on top of his grandmother and "sawing her neck with a knife." Afterward, Lionel set the house on fire, forcing the boy to crawl out of the residence due to smoke.

Fire marshals were able to recover the body from the master bedroom. They found the severed head of the victim beside her body.

Later, authorities managed to track down Lionel. He was heading towards West Virginia when police led him on a high-speed chase, WKRC reported. Lionel crashed into two police cruisers but was arrested and taken to a hospital. At the hospital, he told detectives, "I cut her head off and set her on fire." He told police that he killed Diane because the "holy spirit told him to do it and that she was the devil."

Lionel will likely face additional charges of child endangerment and arson. Police are still investigating the incident.