A 33-year-old mother of a young child has been arrested for dousing a homeless man in paint thinner and burning him to death as she staggered home with her ex-boyfriend after a night boozing.

The suspect was with her 34-year-old boyfriend when she spotted two homeless men sleeping on a bench in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. She noticed that they had apparently been drinking paint thinner that was lying in a bottle alongside them, and poured it over both of them before setting it alight on the night of 24th May.

However, most of the liquid ended up on the 22-year-old man that later died with his friend miraculously escaping any serious injury.

A police spokesperson said: “Acting out of hooligan motives, the accused, wishing to be a rebel in society and express a disdainful attitude towards others, decided to commit the murder of a young man she did not know.”

The shocking case caused outrage online with police putting extra effort into tracking down the suspected attackers, and confirmed that they were initially looking for both the woman and her 34-year-old ex boyfriend, who was identified as having a criminal record, but who was not named.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in Yekaterinburg also praised local media coverage which they said had provided vital clues in tracking down the person believed to be responsible and arresting her. The other suspect who was an ex-boyfriend of the woman was later dropped from the investigation for unknown reasons.

The woman, identified as Anna Shekhereva, 33, was later found hiding at a friends house after a massive search operation.

She is accused of pouring flammable liquid over the unnamed homeless man who, because he had been drinking, did not immediately notice he on fire, despite 60 percent of his body being burned, according to local media.

He died of his injuries in hospital the following day.

The suspect was arrested on 15th July two months later in the north of Yekaterinburg where she had reportedly been hiding out. She told the arresting officers that she was about to turn herself in, and that they had turned up before she got the chance.

She also dismissed the attack as an “accident” and said she had not wanted to kill the victim.

A neighbour told local media that the suspect is a single mother of a young daughter with a serious drinking problem.

A friend of the suspect said that she had never held down a regular job.

The local authorities said Shekhereva will undergo a psychiatric evaluation as the investigation continues.