Murder trial to start Monday for man accused of setting girlfriend on fire

Delores Williams’ home is seen the day after she was allegedly set on fire by her boyfriend, Lewis Reeder.

The murder trial of a man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire, causing critical injuries that she would succumb to nine days later, is set to begin Monday.

Delores Williams

Lewis Reeder, 57, faces a jury trial for a first-degree murder charge for allegedly killing 64-year-old Delores Williams in November 2016. Police said at the time that Reeder set Williams on fire early on the morning of Nov. 19 after an argument in their home on Keeler Court in the Woodlawn area.

The wounds left Williams with burns over 80 percent of her body, according to media reports. She was medevaced to MedStar Washington Hospital, where she would die from her injuries on Nov. 30.

Reeder, who fled the scene after the fire, was caught Dec. 1 in Richmond, Virginia.

Williams, who was known as “Sweetie” to family and friends, was a graduate of Groveton High School, according to her Facebook page. She had lived in the home on Keeler Court since 2009, and was retired after a career working for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Reeder has at least two previous arrests for domestic violence-related incidents, according to public records, and neighbors said that police had visited the home the couple shared prior to the night of the fire. In July of 2015, Reeder was charged in Fairfax County, but the case never went to trial, according to the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court records division. His other previous arrest for domestic violence was in South Carolina; it’s unclear how that case was resolved.

The proceedings will start at 10 a.m. Monday, and the trial could last as long as 8-10 days, according to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Reeder will be represented by Bryan Kennedy, a public defender.