Scorned Husband Said He Set Virginia Lawmaker on Fire Over Affair With Wife

A scorned husband isn’t denying a thing -- admitting he set fire to a Virginia lawmaker, accusing him of an affair with his wife, Mary Alice ... even though she’d already filed for divorce weeks before the attack.

Yup, we finally got the why behind Shotsie Michael Buck-Hayes' alleged actions -- laid out by a Danville PD investigator during Tuesday’s prelim hearing, months after his July arrest.

Shotsie flat-out told cops he bought gas to kill Danville City Council member Lee Vogler -- then used a lighter to spark the blaze.

Three witnesses took the stand -- including a Showcase Magazine employee, who said Buck-Hayes stormed in with a bucket, chased Vogler, and doused him with gasoline while he was working his day job as a sales director.

Vogler’s wife, Blair, told the court he suffered second and third-degree burns over 60% of his body -- plus burn shock, septic shock, and lung damage from the smoke.

He’s been hospitalized ever since, still fighting through recovery.