The pain medications made Yvette Cade hallucinate.
With 60 percent of the Prince George?s County woman?s body covered in severe burns, Cade saw blue jeans and sneakers peeking below the hospital curtains surrounding her bed. Her husband ? the man who had doused her body in gasoline before tossing a match ? was back.
“He was there to make sure that I was dead,” Cade said.
Cade, one of an increasing number of women set ablaze in violent domestic disputes, is the inspiration behind a proposal before the legislature that creates a new crime of intentionally setting a person on fire. Members of a House of Delegates committee Thursday debated the proposal, which would establish the felony crime carrying a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
Prosecutors said current attempted murder charges involving fire incidents are difficult to prove and victim advocates said assault charges are insufficient.
Weeks before Cade?s October 2005 incident, a Prince George?s County judge dismissed her request for a protective order, she said during testimony Thursday. The bill is one of several before the legislature targeting domestic violence, including making protective orders permanent if the abuser is convicted and incarcerated.
One lawmaker wants to create a crime for accused abusers who violate no-contact orders before their trial. Another wants to enable judges to force an accused abuser to turn in guns under temporary protective orders.
The proposal could save lives, said Cheryl Kravitz, a member of the state?s Council on Family Violence Prevention.
“My abuser kept a baseball bat under the bed and would find numerous sadistical ways to intimidate me,” Kravitz said. “I have no doubt the next step would have been gun violence and my murder.”
The proposal met resistance from some lawmakers, who said the bill infringes on second amendment rights of people presumed innocent.
“These individuals have not been found guilty of a crime,” said Del. Michael Smigiel, an eastern shore Republican.
A vote on the proposals has not yet been set.
