Pittsburgh, PA — A man doused his girlfriend with perfume and lit her on fire in an apparent domestic abuse case. The man, 27-year-old Clinton Cohen, was arrested on Saturday.
Cohen’s girlfriend, Maria Redman, 22, was burned on more than 30 percent of her body. The couple’s infant daughter was also at home when the attack happened.
NBC News reports that Cohen threw perfume on Redman early Thursday morning. He then lit her on fire with a cigarette lighter, threw a blanket on her, and left their apartment.
Lieutenant Jeff Korczyk stated of the incident:
“It was a verbal domestic dispute and he began choking her, then punched her. Cohen then opened a bottle of perfume, poured ti over the victim and lit it with a cigarette lighter.”
Redman was taken to West Penn Hospital’s burn unit. Officials stated that she remains there in critical, but stable condition. Korczyk added, “She has a long battle ahead of her.”
It appears that the alleged domestic abuse incident happened in the view of the couple’s three-month-old daughter. Cohen has a history of assault and robbery, according to The New York Daily News . The couple was allegedly in a fight regarding where Cohen was going to live when he set Redman on fire.
Cohen has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of children. Redman’s friend, Caitlin Harrison, was in shock about the incident. She had a hard time believing the 22-year-old new mother would be attacked in such a brutal way. Harrison stated:
“She’s a good person, and it’s a shame that this happened.”
Allegheny County police continue to investigate the crime. It is not yet clear when Clinton Cohen will go before a judge for allegedly dousing his girlfriend with perfume and setting her on fire. The couple’s infant daughter was not injured in the attack, though she was found with some of her mother’s blood on her.
[Image via ShutterStock ]
