A District man who allegedly set his ex-girlfriend on fire was being held without bail until next week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The burning incident was the third time in 15 months that a D.C. area woman was set on fire. All three women have survived.
Terrance James, 48, was charged with assault with intent to kill. His detention hearing is set for Dec. 27.
An upstairs neighbor went to the apartment in the 5000 block of D Street SE Saturday morning after hearing screams, according to the police affidavit.
The neighbor found the woman on fire in the bathroom and grabbed a towel to put the fire out while James watched and lit a cigarette, according to the affidavit. When investigators asked James why he set the woman on fire, he responded, “I don’t know. Pray for me,” the affidavit said.
James, who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred, was arrested at the scene.
The woman, 45, suffered second- and third-degree burns and remained in a Washington hospital in critical condition.
She had been doused with antifreeze in what appeared to be a bedroom of her apartment, police said.
In August, a Landover man allegedly poured gasoline on his girlfriend and ignited it. Last fall, a Prince George’s County woman was set on fire by her estranged husband after a protective order against him was wrongly dismissed.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
