SALEM, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man charged with dousing his former girlfriend and their 1-year-old son with lighter fluid and threatening to set them on fire has been offered a 12- to 16-year prison sentence if he pleads guilty.
The Salem News reports that a judge Tuesday offered the sentence to 38-year-old William Connatser.
Connatser’s lawyer sought a seven-year sentence, saying his client is “as remorseful as any defendant I’ve ever seen.”
Connatser, facing attempted murder and other charges, is scheduled in court Sept. 20 to either accept the judge’s terms or ask for a trial.
Police say Connatser met the woman in a supermarket parking lot in Lawrence in March. They say he doused her in a car, but she honked the horn to get the attention of a bystander, who called police.
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