A man accused of setting fire to his girlfriend's Maud, Texas, apartment after allegedly punching and choking her was indicted Thursday by a Bowie County grand jury.
William DeWayne Turner, 42, allegedly choked and punched a woman in front of her four children March 7 at her apartment in Maud, blackening the woman's eyes and leaving her with bruises, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. The woman reported that, when she left the apartment with her children, Turner allegedly threatened to start a fire if she departed.
Firefighters were dispatched to the apartment at 926 Runnels St. about 6 p.m. A fire had been started on a nightstand in the woman's bedroom, where two Bibles and other flammable materials were near. A shirt and a towel were discovered burning on the floor in front of the nightstand.
The woman's grandmother, who had stopped by after the woman left, reported that she spoke to Turner outside the apartment for about 10 to 15 minutes before noticing smoke coming from the unit. Turner allegedly told the grandmother he must have left a candle burning, but investigators could find no candles in the home.
Investigators who inspected the apartment the day after the fire was extinguished allegedly discovered that both of the apartment's smoke detectors had been removed from the wall. Investigators found one of the smoke detectors with its battery removed laying on a bed. The second detector could not be found, but the brackets for holding it in place were still affixed to a wall in the apartment.
Turner allegedly admitted to detectives that he has been abusive to the woman and allegedly claimed his aggression stems from his belief that she is cheating on him with numerous other men. Turner allegedly told officers he believes men are coming in the woman's apartment through an attic and having sex with her while he sleeps.
The woman told investigators Turner has lived with her since around Halloween 2017 and that he has recently become abusive by hitting and choking her on multiple occasions.
Turner is being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $110,000 total for both charges. If convicted of assault, family violence, by occlusion of the woman's airway, Turner faces two to 10 years in prison. If convicted of arson, Turner faces two to 20 years in prison.
Turner's case has been assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.