Prosecutors upgraded the case after Rachel Price described being doused with gasoline and set ablaze.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A Broward County prosecution that began with arson and aggravated battery allegations now includes attempted murder after a woman said her roommate and former girlfriend set her on fire with gasoline.
Kymesha Tarpley, 48, is charged with attempted second-degree murder with a weapon, first-degree arson and second-degree arson in the burning of Rachel Price. Tarpley has pleaded not guilty. Price said she suffered second- and third-degree burns, spent nearly a month in a hospital and remains in pain. The upgraded charge places the focus not only on how the fire started, but on whether prosecutors can prove an intent to kill.
The first public stage of the case came after police said a confrontation near an apartment building along Emerald Pointe Drive ended with gasoline thrown at another person. Tarpley appeared before a judge in March on arson and aggravated battery counts, according to local reports. At that point, the injured woman was still hospitalized in stable condition. The case later changed after Price went to the Hollywood Police Department to complete the process of pressing charges. The attempted murder count was then added.
The police affidavit gives the account Tarpley offered when officers arrived for a reported apartment fire. She said she and Price had been arguing inside the apartment because Price was upset that Tarpley’s small dog was annoying her. Tarpley described Price as her roommate and former girlfriend. She said the two struggled with a balcony door and that the door accidentally hit a gasoline container, spilling fuel onto the floor. Tarpley told police Price had a lit cigarette, jumped back and dropped it, starting the fire.
Price gave police a statement that pointed in the opposite direction. “She tossed gasoline on me,” Price told an officer, according to the affidavit. She later told local reporters that Tarpley left after the argument and returned with a gas canister. Price said Tarpley threw gasoline from the can and then threw a lighter. “She watched me burn,” Price said. She said she did not have time to react before flames spread across her face, arm, leg and hair. She said she tried to put a jacket over herself, but the injuries had already happened.
The attempted murder charge makes those details more important. Prosecutors will likely focus on the alleged return with the gasoline can, the use of a lighter and Price’s statement that Tarpley watched her burn. The defense may focus on Tarpley’s claim that the gasoline spilled by accident during a struggle and that a cigarette caused the ignition. The court record now available does not show a full defense filing explaining Tarpley’s position beyond her statement to the officer at the scene. No conviction has been entered.
The arson counts reflect the danger to the building as well as the injury to Price. Police were called to an apartment fire, not only an assault. A fire marshal living below the women heard Price screaming, smelled smoke and ran upstairs with a fire extinguisher, local reports said. Price credited that neighbor with helping save her life and said she hoped to thank him. Reports have not described other injuries in the building, but the emergency placed neighbors close to a fire that began inside an occupied residence.
Price’s injuries provide the human center of the case. The affidavit said she had burns to her face and neck and was taken to an area hospital, where she was intubated. Price later said her face had second- and third-degree burns and that she was still in pain every day. “I don’t feel like myself,” she said. She said basic tasks such as eating and speaking on the phone had become difficult. She also said she was grateful she did not lose her vision.
The relationship between the women is part of the record but not the whole case. Tarpley described Price to police as a roommate and former girlfriend. Price has also described Tarpley as her roommate. Police said the argument began with a complaint about a small dog. What began as a domestic dispute inside a shared living space now sits in felony court because of the alleged use of gasoline and fire. The record does not say whether there had been prior police calls involving the two women.
Several facts remain unresolved in the public record. Officials have not said why gasoline was in or near the apartment. They have not publicly stated whether investigators recovered the gas canister or lighter, whether testing confirmed gasoline on Price’s clothing or whether the balcony-door account was checked against the physical layout of the room. The affidavit gives enough information for the charges to proceed, but later hearings could reveal more about the evidence prosecutors believe supports the attempted murder count.
Price has spoken publicly as both a witness and a survivor. She said she was grateful to be alive and thanked God every day. She said she would not wish the fire on anyone, adding that she did not believe she had enemies before the attack. When asked what she wanted for Tarpley, Price said, “I just hope she finds the help that she needs.” She has also said she is working to heal and secure a new place to live after the fire.
Tarpley was reported held without bond at the Paul Rein Detention Facility after the case was upgraded. The next listed step is a June 18 calendar call in Broward County. The prosecution now turns on medical records, fire evidence, witness statements and the competing accounts of whether gasoline ignited by accident or was used as a weapon.
Author note: Last updated May 7, 2026.