TAMPA, FLA. — A Tampa man received 40 years in prison on Tuesday for lighting a man on fire at a gas station after an argument in 2023, prosecutors said.
Earl Hargrove, 37, pleaded guilty in court to second-degree murder in the death of Paul Gerbasi.
On May 28, 2023, Hargrove was at the Mobil gas station, 14516 22nd St. North, Tampa, when he got into an argument with Gerbasi.
Afterward, Hargrove went into the gas station store and purchased 50 cents of gasoline, the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said.
He then left and pumped 50 cents worth of fuel into a gas can.
According to video surveillance, Hargrove walked over to Gerbasi who was sitting on the south side of the station and poured the gas on him. He then used a lighter to set the victim on fire. When Hargrove was arrested, he had a lighter in his possession, authorities said.
Gerbasi, 66, suffered severe burns and died two weeks later.
During questioning with a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detective after the crime, Hargrove said, “he looks like a monster and he lit someone on fire,” an arrest affidavit stated.
Hargrove was sentenced to 40 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.
The victim's family was in court as Hargrove accepted responsibility for his actions, prosecutors said.
Chief of Major Crimes John Terry prosecuted the case.
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