--- title: Man Attempts to Use Cheetos to Burn His Ex's House description: A Massachusetts man named Shemroy Williams was convicted of using Cheetos to try and burn down his ex-girlfriend's house. canonical: https://time.com/4575329/man-uses-cheetos-house-fire/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-17T20:41:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:38:47.464Z og:title: A Man Tried to Burn Down His Ex's House Using Cheetos og:description: Flaming Hot Cheetos just took on a whole new meaning og:url: https://time.com/4575329/man-uses-cheetos-house-fire/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bf449e80b2b175c/6988aef1196cf45be403e054/man-uses-cheetos-to-burn-house.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: PepsiCo Inc. Products Ahead Of Earnings Figures og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Man Tried to Burn Down His Ex's House Using Cheetos twitter:description: Flaming Hot Cheetos just took on a whole new meaning twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bf449e80b2b175c/6988aef1196cf45be403e054/man-uses-cheetos-to-burn-house.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Man Tried to Burn Down His Ex-Girlfriend's House Using Cheetos > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 17, 2016 8:41 PM UTC  A bag of PepsiCo Inc. Cheetos brand snacks is arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016\. PepsiCo Inc. is scheduled to release earnings on September 29\. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images A bag of PepsiCo Inc. Cheetos brand snacks is arranged for a photograph in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016\. PepsiCo Inc. is scheduled to release earnings on September 29\. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Nov 17, 2016 8:41 PM UTC A Massachusetts man was recently convicted of malicious destruction of property after he attempted to burn down his ex-girlfriend’s home while she was still in it, using the bizarre combination of [Cheetos](http://time.com/4378236/burger-king-mac-n-cheetos/) and a propane tank. According to the [_Taunton Gazette_](http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/20161116/taunton-cheetos-arsonist-gets-jail-time-for-trying-to-torch-ex-girlfriends-house), an investigation revealed that Shemroy Williams tried to light his ex-girlfriend’s home on fire in five different locations and even wedged a propane tank next to the house while there was a fire burning on the back porch. Reportedly, police located him roughly 100 yards from the home with two lighters in his pocket and an empty bag of Cheetos; according to investigators, Williams had attempted to accelerate the fire with Cheetos. It all seems like a terrible use of cheesy goodness — although it does give a whole new meaning to Flaming Hot Cheetos. 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