Florida – In a shocking incident in Florida, a 66-year-old man, identified as W. Clements, is facing serious charges after police say he attempted to kill his girlfriend of nine months by setting their shared home on fire while she slept inside. Clemets is now being held in the county jail without bond in connection with the terrifying attack he carried out against his girlfriend just one day after he brought her gifts.
Clements has been charged with multiple crimes, including attempted murder, arson, aggravated battery causing bodily harm, and false imprisonment of an adult. According to police, the charges stem from an incident on April 4, when he tried to kill his girlfriend by intentionally setting her home ablaze while she took a nap. Authorities later revealed that firefighters identified two separate points of origin inside the house, indicating that the fire was not accidental but was instead intentionally set. Investigators also recovered a red five-gallon gas can at the scene, further supporting the claim that the blaze had been deliberately started.
The terrifying event unfolded when the woman, whose identity has not been publicly revealed, was asleep in her bedroom that afternoon. According to an arrest affidavit, she awoke to a horrifying scene — the smell of gasoline filling the room and flames coming underneath the door. The fire trapped her inside the room, leaving her desperate for rescue. When sheriff’s deputies and firefighters arrived, they acted quickly to save her. Responders smashed open her bedroom window and pulled her to safety. The affidavit notes that she was in critical condition when rescued. She was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for injuries sustained as a result of the fire covering nearly 60% of her body.
Despite the severity of her injuries, the woman managed to tell police that she suspected Clements had tried to kill her. She recalled a chilling comment he had made before about permanently disfiguring women instead of killing them. The horrifying attack was not the first act of violence Clements committed against the victim. According to the affidavit, the couple had been in a relationship for nine months and had been living together for the past four. The woman told police that earlier in the year, Clements had assaulted her on at least two occasions.
In one particularly violent incident in February, she alleged that Clements zip-tied her and trapped her in her bedroom before beating her severely. She told investigators that during the attack, Clements punched her repeatedly and knocked out her front tooth. Police later found photos on her phone showing the injuries she suffered. Adding to the troubling history, records show that Clements has a criminal record dating back to 1993, when he was convicted of kidnapping and indecent assault. At the time of the February attack, he was still on parole for those previous convictions.
Clements was initially charged last month with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and false imprisonment after investigators learned of the February incident. Following the investigation into the fire, he faced additional charges on April 17, including attempted murder and arson. Neighbors and friends were left horrified by the brutal attack. One friend of the victim told authorities the events seemed surreal considering Clements had given his girlfriend gifts just the night before the incident. For now, Clements remains in custody without bond. His arraignment, which had been scheduled for May 13, has been canceled, according to court records. As the case moves forward, the victim continues her recovery after enduring what authorities are calling a calculated and deeply disturbing attack.
