A man has been arrested for beheading his own mother and setting her body on fire before telling cops that he believed she was “the Devil”.

Lionel Justin Gore, 34, is accused of killing his adoptive mother Diane Gore before setting the house on fire and escaping the flames.

The emergency services received a call about a house fire at the victim’s home in the village of New Matamoras in the US state of Ohio on Friday evening.

The victim’s sister Stephanie Williams said she saw Gore fleeing the burning home “covered in blood” and he allegedly told her to “get out of the way or I’ll kill you next”.

She added that the suspect then fled the scene in a car and that she was not able to get into the property to save her sister due to the intense flames.

The police also interviewed the victim’s six-year-old grandson, who reportedly witnessed Gore killing his adoptive mother.

According to local reports, the boy said he saw his uncle “sawing her neck with a knife”, adding that he then changed it for a bigger blade.

The boy also witnessed the suspect setting the house on fire and crawling to safety.

While firefighters were battling the flames, officers took part in a car chase with the suspect, who reportedly hit two police cars and was eventually placed under arrest.

Gore required hospital treatment for the injuries sustained in the incident.

After the fire had been extinguished, officers found the victim in the main bedroom. Her decapitated head was located next to her body, similar to how the victim’s grandson described.

In hospital, the suspect told the police that he killed his adoptive mother because “she was the Devil” and “the Holy Spirit told him to do it”, according to the affidavit.

The authorities also said that the suspect admitted to “cut[ting] her head off and set[ting] her on fire”.

He was placed under arrest and taken to Wetzel County Jail on charges connected to the car chase.

The murder case is still under investigation.

Washington County Prosecutor Nicole Coil said “he’s likely looking at murder, arson, and child endangering charges” with more charges expected.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect has been arrested over 25 times in the past for theft, assault, domestic violence, and other charges.