Man kills ex-girlfriend by setting fire in Bronx apartment, source says

A man killed his ex-girlfriend by setting her on fire in the Bronx on Saturday, a law enforcement source said. Photo Credit: Nicole Brown

A man set his ex-girlfriend on fire in the Bronx Saturday, killing her and himself, a witness told investigators, according to a law enforcement source.

Berta Booker, 49, succumbed to her injuries at St. Barnabas Hospital Sunday, a day after the fatal flames were set inside her second-floor apartment on Adams Place, near East 182nd Street in Belmont. Her 44-year-old ex-boyfriend, who has not been identified, also had severe burns and was pronounced dead Saturday.

Another man in the apartment said Booker and her ex-boyfriend were in a physical fight before he poured an accelerant on her and started the fire, the source said. The man, who is 50 years old, jumped out the window and called 911 when the fire started, at about 1:30 p.m., according to the source.

He was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with severe, but non life-threatening injuries, police said.

Firefighters had the fire under control shortly before 3 p.m., authorities said.

With Nicole Levy