Attempted Murder Suspect Gets 10 Years

BROOKSVILLE - Erik Limas received a 10-year prison sentence Thursday for setting a man on fire in rural Hernando County last year.

Limas was one of three people linked to the attack of 19-year-old Luke Griggs, who was left for dead at the corner of Dan Brown Hill and Hayman roads on March 16.

It wasn't until 11 days later that Griggs gave this account to investigators from his bed in a Tampa hospital's burn unit:

Limas, 23, and two others, Carleen Troyer and John Thornton, all of Lutz, were friends with Griggs. They had stayed up the night before the attack hanging out and using drugs.

On March 16, Griggs was forced at gunpoint into a car somewhere near Dade City. The suspects and Griggs traveled in two vehicles to the secluded intersection and stepped out of the car.

A witness and alleged accomplice to the attack, Bradley House, was under the impression Griggs was only going to be beat up or intimidated for stealing money from the group.

But Thornton fired several shots at Griggs from a silver handgun while they milled around on the dirt road. The victim was struck once in the shoulder and ran to his pickup to escape the bullets.

As Griggs sat in the passenger seat of the pickup, Limas doused him in gasoline and lit him on fire. All of the suspects fled as Griggs ran out of the pickup and stripped off his flaming clothes. A passing motorist stopped and helped him.

Limas was arrested in Louisiana on unrelated charges before Hernando County detectives caught up with him. That's where he remained while waiting for trial, which was scheduled for Monday, on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy.

Thornton, who was picked up on the Mexican border, has already received a matching sentence for those same charges, which includes five years probation. Troyer is identically charged and has a pre-trial scheduled for May 15.

House received three years of probation.

Griggs survived the attack and is serving time in a Texas prison.