Authorities say both occupants escaped the Oakland Park fire with serious burns after a dispute in a convenience-store parking lot.

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — An 84-year-old Fort Lauderdale man remains in the Broward County Main Jail pending trial after investigators accused him of pouring gasoline through a parked car and setting it ablaze while his former partner of 42 years was still inside.

Franklin Davis was arrested July 3 after the fire outside a 7-Eleven at 3100 NW Ninth Ave. in Oakland Park, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and county jail records. Authorities have listed charges involving premeditated attempted murder, arson causing bodily harm and an attempt, solicitation or conspiracy to commit a capital felony. Jail records reviewed Sunday show Davis remains held without bond on the two most serious listed counts. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the public records reviewed for this report did not identify an attorney speaking on his behalf.

The fire followed an argument between Davis and a woman whom authorities described as his longtime partner. Investigators said the two had been together for 42 years but had separated several months before the confrontation. The woman was seated in the rear driver’s-side seat while Davis occupied the front of the vehicle, according to accounts based on the arrest affidavit. Deputies alleged that Davis had been drinking when the disagreement unfolded, although no publicly reviewed record established how much alcohol he had consumed or whether investigators performed a chemical test.

Surveillance video from the convenience store became a central part of the initial case, investigators said. The camera was positioned to record the car directly as the confrontation unfolded in the parking lot. Authorities said the footage showed Davis enter the vehicle with a plastic bottle containing gasoline, spread the liquid across the dashboard and front-seat area, and use a lighter to ignite it. The cabin was engulfed almost immediately, according to local reports describing the recording. The affidavit’s account has not yet been tested through testimony, cross-examination or a trial.

The woman escaped from the vehicle after the flames erupted. CBS News Miami reported that she briefly returned to retrieve belongings, a detail attributed to investigators’ review of the surveillance recording. Deputies said she suffered third-degree burns to her left leg. Davis also got out, but authorities said he sustained burns to his face and hands. Video aired by local television later showed him leaving the area with the aid of a walker. Neither person’s current medical condition has been publicly detailed in the records and reports reviewed for this article.

Emergency crews first took Davis and the woman to Broward Health Medical Center, which local reports also identified by its former name, Broward General Hospital. Both were later transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami because of the seriousness of their injuries, according to CBS News Miami. Officials did not release the woman’s name, and there was no verified public account describing the length of her hospital stay, any additional treatment or whether she has since been discharged. Her privacy has been preserved because she has not been publicly identified by authorities.

Investigators said the woman told deputies she believed Davis intended to burn her inside the car. That statement describes her understanding of the episode and is part of the prosecution’s account; it is not by itself a court finding about Davis’ intent. Premeditated attempted murder requires prosecutors to prove more than the occurrence of a dangerous act. They would have to establish the required intent and the elements of an attempt beyond a reasonable doubt if the case reaches trial. Davis is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted.

Davis appeared before a judge on July 6 while using a wheelchair and with visible bandages on injuries to his hand and ear, according to courtroom footage described by local news organizations. The judge ordered him held without bond. CBS News Miami reported that Davis asked whether he could attend a later proceeding and how long he would be held. The brief exchange did not address the underlying facts of the allegations, and no plea was reported during that initial appearance.

The jail listing presents the charges in administrative language that does not perfectly match every news report. It identifies one pending-trial entry as “murder premeditated” under a Florida homicide statute, another as arson causing bodily harm and a third as criminal attempt, solicitation or conspiracy involving a capital felony. Local reports have consistently described the lead allegation as premeditated attempted murder rather than a completed homicide. The woman survived the fire, and nothing in the available records indicates that prosecutors are alleging a death.

The difference illustrates the limits of using a jail database as a substitute for a formal charging document. The sheriff’s website warns that inmate information can change quickly and may contain errors. It also states that an arrest does not mean a person has been convicted. The Broward County Clerk of Courts maintains the formal case record, but the publicly accessible case-detail page reviewed for this report did not display filings, hearing dates or docket entries without additional website functionality. As a result, the exact wording of any information or indictment could not be independently confirmed.

The case rests initially on several forms of evidence described by investigators: the woman’s account, the surveillance footage, the burned vehicle, Davis’ injuries and the circumstances surrounding the former couple’s argument. Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether they collected the bottle, lighter, clothing or other physical evidence for laboratory testing. They also have not released the surveillance recording in full through the sources reviewed. No independent witness account from a customer or store worker was included in the reports examined for this article.

Investigators said Davis declined to answer questions without an attorney. Exercising that right cannot be treated as evidence of guilt. The Fifth Amendment permits a person in custody to remain silent, while the Sixth Amendment protects the right to counsel in a criminal prosecution. Prosecutors may rely on physical evidence, recordings and other witnesses, but they cannot ask a jury to infer guilt merely because an accused person chose not to provide a statement after arrest.

The fire left visible damage in the parking lot, according to local television footage, including a blackened area where the car burned and heat damage to nearby materials. Those images documented the aftermath but did not establish who carried out each alleged act or why. Such questions ordinarily are addressed through the filing of charges, evidence exchanges, pretrial motions and, unless the case is resolved earlier, a trial. No verified information was available about whether the damaged vehicle belonged to Davis, the woman or another person.

The woman’s reported decision to end the relationship provides context for the argument but does not establish a legally sufficient motive on its own. Authorities have not released a fuller history of the relationship, prior police calls, restraining orders or allegations of earlier violence. No such history should be assumed from the present arrest. The only relationship details confirmed across the reviewed reports are that the two had been together for roughly four decades and had recently separated before the parking-lot dispute.

Davis’ age and injuries may affect how the jail provides medical care or transports him to court, but they do not determine whether he is legally responsible for the alleged conduct. Likewise, his use of mobility aids does not resolve his physical condition at the time of the fire. Medical records have not been made public, and no expert evaluation has been reported. Questions involving competency, capacity or health-related accommodations would require evidence and rulings that do not appear in the currently available public record.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office inmate database listed Davis at the Main Jail and marked the principal charges as pending trial. The listing did not provide an expected release date. A future court date, formal plea and complete charging document could not be confirmed from the accessible records. The investigation’s allegations therefore remain unresolved, and any determination of criminal guilt must come through the court process.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.