Background: News footage of the charred home that William Clements Jr. is accused of setting on fire (WESH). Inset: William Clements Jr. (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida man reportedly gifted his girlfriend flowers and chocolates, only to allegedly set fire to the home they shared the next day.
William Clements Jr., 73, is being held without bond at the Brevard County Jail after police allege he tried to kill his girlfriend by setting fire to her house while she took a nap. According to an arrest affidavit, the woman, who was not identified for her safety, was taking a nap on the afternoon of April 4 when she awoke to the smell of gasoline and the sight of flames underneath her bedroom door. The fire outside her room trapped her inside as she waited for help to arrive.
Meanwhile, neighbors told police that they saw Clements around the same time, leaving the area on foot “in a hurry.”
When Brevard County deputies and first responders arrived, they were able to rescue the woman and her dog by ripping open her bedroom window from the outside. According to the affidavit, she was “struggling to breath[e], bright red and had skin peeling off her body” as they rescued her from the fire.
The woman was taken to the hospital by helicopter due to the severity of her injuries, which local NBC affiliate WESH reported included burns over nearly 60% of her body. The affidavit also stated that she had trouble communicating due to her throat being burned. She was, however, still able to tell police that she believed it was Clements who allegedly tried to kill her. The woman cited a previous statement Clements had reportedly made in which he said, “[Y]ou don’t kill a woman, you just permanently disfigure them.”
Police caught up to Clements soon after they arrived at the scene. When deputies finally caught up to him, he reportedly said, “[Y]ou’re here for me, right?”
Firefighters identified “two separate points of origin” for the house fire, which indicated to them that the fire was set intentionally, the affidavit said. Also located inside was a five-gallon, red gas can.
WESH spoke to the woman’s friend, Angela Klusek, who was familiar with the couple’s violent history. She told the station, “The night before [the fire], he brought her flowers and chocolate.”
In a sworn statement cited by the affidavit, the woman said that Clements had been her boyfriend for nine months and had lived with her for the past four. Earlier this year, she claimed that she and Clements had two other alleged domestic violence incidents, including a February incident that entailed her being zip-tied and trapped in her bedroom. She alleged that while she was trapped, Clements “punched her repeatedly, until her front tooth was knocked out.” Investigators found photos showing her injuries from that alleged attack on her phone.
Clements’ criminal history stretches back to 1993, when he was convicted of kidnapping and spousal rape. At the time of the February incident, he was on parole for those charges.
On April 7, Clements was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and false imprisonment of an adult. After the investigation into the fire, he was slapped with additional charges for attempted murder, animal cruelty, and arson on April 17. He remains in custody at Brevard County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
An arraignment had been scheduled for May 13 but was canceled, according to court records.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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