Burning incident triggers painful memories

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006

by Judson Berger

Staff Writer

Women’s advocates are reminding domestic violence victims that help is available if they need it after a man allegedly set his girlfriend on fire last weekend in the second burning case in Prince George’s in a year.

A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 28 for Anthony Willoughby, 40, of Landover on charges of first-degree attempted murder. Police say he poured gasoline on Fredia Edwards of Landover and set her on fire at Willoughby’s home on Saturday. She is undergoing treatment for second- and third- degree burns.

Edwards had had a protective order against Willoughby lifted just one month before because the couple was seeking counseling.

The new case bears an unsettling similarity to what happened to Yvette Cade last October when her estranged husband Roger Hargrave came to her workplace, doused her with gasoline and set her ablaze. The incident disfigured Cade, leaving her with severe burns that required many surgeries. Hargrave was found guilty in June of first-degree attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison. The two have divorced.

‘‘You just hate to hear anything like that happening again,” said Norma Harley, who manages the domestic violence unit in the Prince George’s Sheriff’s office.

‘‘It’s like we’re losing the human element,” said the Rev. Belina Wimbish, founder of the non-profit Belina Ministries, which aids battered women. ‘‘How does a girlfriend turn into something you want to burn?”

The Cade case put the spotlight on domestic violence in Prince George’s, which has more reported cases than most other jurisdictions in the state.

In fiscal 2005, 5,085 protective orders were filed in Prince George’s, more than anywhere else in the state, according to the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.

The county is close to the top in domestic violence-related homicides, recording nine in fiscal 2006 and seven in fiscal 2005, according to the domestic violence network. In 2006, Baltimore City led the state with 14.

District Court judge Richard Palumbo, who dismissed the protective order Cade had obtained against Hargrave, came under criticism for how he handled her case and others. He retired this week just short-circuiting an inquiry into his conduct on the bench.

‘‘If a person feels that they are being threatened and they are uncomfortable in a relationship, then they need to get out, they need to get help, and that other person needs to get help,” said Wimbish, who was once in an abusive relationship.

Law enforcement authorities and community activists have begun offering more services to victims of domestic abuse since the Cade case.

A special unit was established within the sheriff’s department to handle such cases. In April, the county’s emergency shelter for battered women broke ground on a project to expand it from 20 to 55 beds. And advocacy groups have taken pains to circulate word about available services.

‘‘We are continuing to do what we’ve always done, which is aggressively advocate for support and services,” said Denise McCain, director of the Family Crisis Center of Prince George’s County, which along with the sheriff’s department provides assistance at the courts for women seeking protective orders.

Duchy Trachtenberg, president of Maryland N.O.W, said it is a common pattern for women to return to abusive relationships, especially for economic reasons.

She and Wimbish both speculated that Willoughby, who was held without bond Monday, was mimicking Hargrave.

State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said Hargrave’s crime was the ‘‘most malicious” act of violence he’s seen in Prince George’s County when he prosecuted the case. Ivey said he could not tell whether Willoughby’s alleged crime was the act of a copycat.

‘‘This is shocking for me, and I was really stunned when I heard it,” said Ivey. He said he has not decided if he will prosecute the newer case.

Harley, who manages the domestic violence unit in the sheriff’s office, stressed the importance of a protective order, which bars a person from abusing or interacting with a victim, in a case like this.

According to court records, Edwards claimed Willoughby had previously choked her and punched her in the back of the head, forbidding her to leave the house until she had to go to work. The order was dismissed at her request in late June.

Charging documents state that Willoughby began questioning her about whether she was cheating on him with other men before setting her afire.

Harley said the county needs more facilities — another emergency shelter in the southern part of the county and transitional housing specifically for battered women.

Cade cut short a trip to visit her daughter in Ohio over the weekend so she could go to the hospital to visit Edwards.

‘‘I am sick to my stomach after hearing this news,” Cade said in a statement. ‘‘No one deserves to be burned, and this tragedy brings back all of the memories of what happened to me. I feel as if I am living my attack all over again.”

E-mail Judson Berger at jberger@gazette.net.