Stop me if you've heard this one before. A pretty young woman boards a subway train and sits there minding her own business – not bothering a soul – only to be violently attacked by a career criminal/psychopath who never should have been free to roam the streets of his community, but was able to do so because a judge didn't think he was a danger.
Sounds a lot like the horrifying murder of Iryna Zarutska, right? Iryna was attacked this past summer while riding the light rail system in Charlotte, North Carolina. Unfortunately, she sat near Decarlos Brown, a mentally ill repeat offender with 14 convictions on his record, who pulled out a knife and brutally ended her young life. Brown was free to murder Iryna that day because a judge chose to release him after his most recent arrest – and despite his lengthy rap sheet – "based solely on his written promise to appear for a future court date." Well, if he promised.
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There's another very disturbing story making headlines this week involving yet another violent criminal who should've been locked up tight in jail or a psych ward, but was instead free to commit heinous acts to thanks to the generosity of a liberal judge. This time around, it occurred in Chicago, Illinois, under the watch of the city's Democrat mayor, Brandon Johnson, and the state's Democrat governor (and 2028 hopeful!), JB Pritzker.
On November 17, Bethany MaGee, who's been described as "a very gentle" soul, boarded the L train and unfortunately crossed paths with a violent thug by the name of Lawrence Reed. What happened next is the stuff of nightmares.
Reed approached MaGee, who was sitting with her back to the crazed firebug on the train in downtown Chicago around 9 p.m. Nov. 17, according to the criminal complaint.
He then removed the cap from a bottle of liquid, pouring it all over her head and body. MaGee fled, but Reed caught up with her and set the bottle, which fell to the floor, on fire, but he allegedly retrieved it and used it to set her ablaze.
She was engulfed in flames but somehow managed to exit the train before collapsing on the platform, where good Samaritans stepped in to help her and she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, according to the complaint.
Bethany MaGee, 26, identified as Chicago woman set on fire on CTA train by serial thug with 72 arrests https://t.co/25TQyohXTK pic.twitter.com/yEf65xtkxY
— New York Post (@nypost) November 23, 2025
As Bethany continues to fight for her life, we're learning a lot more about Lawrence Reed, including the fact that he has been arrested 22 times since 2016, has 53 criminal cases on the books in Cook County dating back decades, and has only served time twice for a total of just two and half years behind bars.
It gets worse. Reed, we find out, appeared before Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez in August after he knocked a female social worker unconscious during an in-patient stay on a psychiatric ward. The state's attorney urged the judge to keep Reed in custody, arguing that an ankle monitor, the judge's preferred "punishment" for Reed, "could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious, random, and spontaneous attack."
Judge Molina-Gonzalez ignored that warning, telling the state's attorney (emphasis mine):
That's right, this female judge could find no reason to keep a man with 72 arrests and a history of violence against women locked up. The case has caught the attention of the Trump White House, which has been itching for a reason to send federal troops into the Windy City.
This human scum has 72 arrests, yet was out on "pretrial release" in Chicago when he doused this poor woman in gas, chased her through the train, and set her on fire — screaming "burn alive, b*tch."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 25, 2025
WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR SICKOS @GovPritzker/@ChicagosMayor TO GET TOUGH ON CRIME? https://t.co/rY1QiUCOig
Here's the full text of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's comment:
An innocent, beautiful 26-year-old woman riding the subway was randomly set on fire by a career criminal.
Pray for Bethany as she fights for her life.
HOW was this allowed to take place?
This monster should have been locked behind bars, not roaming the streets.
These liberal soft-on-crime policies threaten the safety and lives of law-abiding Americans.
Enough is enough.
Lawrence Reed was arrested the day after his attack on Bethany MaGee and now faces federal terrorism charges. He is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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