A pretty young woman boards a subway train and sits there minding her own business not bothering a soul. Then she is violently attacked by a career criminal 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.
On November 17 Bethany MaGee who has 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.
Reed approached MaGee who was sitting with her back to him on the train in downtown Chicago around 9 p.m. 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. 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. Good Samaritans stepped in to help her and she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
As Bethany continues to fight for her life we are learning a lot more about Lawrence Reed. He has been arrested 22 times since 2016. He has 53 criminal cases on the books in Cook County dating back decades. He has only served time twice for a total of just two and a half years behind bars.
It gets worse.
Reed 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 could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious, random, and spontaneous attack.
Judge Molina-Gonzalez ignored that warning and gave a shocking response.
“I understand your position, but I can’t keep everybody in jail because the State’s Attorney wants me to.”
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.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement about the horrifying attack.
“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.
This attack occurred in Chicago Illinois under the watch of the city’s Democrat mayor Brandon Johnson and the state’s Democrat governor JB Pritzker who has been mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
This case mirrors the horrifying murder of Iryna Zarutska that happened this past summer while riding the light rail system in Charlotte North Carolina. 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.
The pattern is clear. Liberal judges across the country continue releasing violent criminals who then go on to attack innocent people. Prosecutors warn these judges about the danger these individuals pose. The judges ignore those warnings and release them anyway. Then innocent women like Bethany MaGee and Iryna Zarutska pay the price.
Reed’s 72 arrests should have been more than enough evidence that he was a danger to society. His attack on a female social worker just months ago should have sealed the deal. But Judge Molina-Gonzalez apparently believes that keeping violent criminals locked up is somehow unfair.
Her comment that she can’t keep everybody in jail shows the mindset of these soft-on-crime judges. They view incarceration as punishment rather than as protection for the public. They care more about the rights of criminals than the safety of innocent citizens.
Bethany MaGee is fighting for her life because of this judge’s decision. If she survives she will likely face years of painful recovery and permanent scarring. All because a judge thought releasing a violent psychopath with 72 arrests was the compassionate thing to do.
