Growing fury at Chicago judge who freed career criminal with 72 arrests and is now accused of setting devout Christian woman, 26, alight on train
By Will Potter
Daily Mail
Nov 24, 2025
A selection of Lawrence Reed’s mugshots, left, and Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez A Chicago
judge is facing growing backlash after she freed a career criminal with
72 arrests to his name just weeks before he allegedly set a woman on
fire on a train.
Cook County Judge
Teresa Molina-Gonzalez freed accused arson attacker Lawrence Reed, 50,
in a separate case in August despite warnings that he posed a danger to
the public.
Reed faced Molina-Gonzalez
on August 22 on a felony aggravated battery charge, accused of slapping
a social worker so hard she was knocked unconscious inside a
psychiatric ward at MacNeal Hospital.
Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila told the judge
at the time that Reed needed to remain in custody and argued that
electronic monitoring was 'wholly insufficient' to protect the public.
'It
could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious,
random, and spontaneous attacks,' she told the judge, according to CWB Chicago.
Gumila's warnings allegedly proved true, as just weeks later, Reed was accused of dousing Chicago resident Bethany Magee, 26, in gasoline and setting her alight on a train on November 17.
The shocking attack and Reed's lengthy rap sheet sparked outrage online, with Elon Musk leading criticisms of Molina-Gonzalez.
'It
is incredibly cruel of so many judges to push murderous thugs on the
innocent public!' Musk said on X. 'And double shame on anyone who funds
them to do so.'
Cook
County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez is facing backlash after she freed a
career criminal with 72 arrests to his name before he allegedly set a
woman on fire on a train
Just
weeks after the judge freed the serial criminal, he was accused of
dousing Chicago resident Bethany Magee, 26, (pictured) in gasoline and
setting her alight on a train on November 17
Magee's
alleged attacker Lawrence Reed has been arrested over 70 times and has
had multiple felony convictions over the last three decades Musk compared Reed's case to that of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska earlier this year, who was also allegedly attacked by a career criminal on a train in North Carolina on August 22. The
billionaire also shared a post showing Zarutska and Magee together,
captioned with a quote from Scottish philosopher Adam Smith reading:
'Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.'
'Wise words,' Musk added, in an X post that was viewed over 24 million times in one day.
Other X users also shared footage
of a speech the judge gave at a Hispanic Heritage Month event, where
she said she enjoyed her previous role as a prosecutor because she had a
'chance to decide' what cases were prosecuted, as she often faced
'defendants who looked like me.'
The Daily Mail has contacted the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Cook County for comment.
Reed
has been arrested over 70 times and has had multiple felony convictions
over the last three decades - including a 2020 arson conviction for
setting a fire outside a building in Chicago.
According to court transcripts, Molina-Gonzalez resisted prosecutors' urging to keep Reed in custody.
The
judge told prosecutors as she released him in August: 'I can't keep
everybody in jail because the state's attorney wants me to.'
Elon
Musk led criticisms of Molina-Gonzalez, and compared Reed's case to
that of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska earlier this year, who was also
allegedly attacked by a career criminal on a train in North Carolina
Molina-Gonzalez
(pictured) resisted the urging from prosecutors to keep Reed in
custody, telling officials weeks before the alleged attack on Magee: 'I
can't keep everybody in jail because the state's attorney wants me to'
Bethany MaGee, seen in her Facebook profile picture, was set alight while traveling on a Chicago metro train At that hearing, Gumila said that when
Reed allegedly knocked out a social worker in the hospital psychiatric
ward, he was seen on surveillance video flying into a frenzy at random.
She said he 'became irate and slapped the victim in the face with an open palm.'
'Her
vision went black, and she lost consciousness for several seconds. One
of the victim’s co-workers rushed over and helped the victim walk down
to her office, and the victim was then taken to the emergency room,' the
prosecutor said.
Gumila said the
victim suffered a cut to the cornea of her eye, a concussion, memory
loss, a chipped tooth, and possible optic nerve bruising.
Despite
running through Reed's lengthy rap sheet, and warning that he 'poses a
real and present threat' to society, the judge set him free with just
electronic monitoring.
Reed was
subsequently ordered to be held without bail following the alleged
attack on Magee, and he is facing charges including terrorism.
Investigators
said Reed attacked MaGee at random and obtained additional security
footage of Reed allegedly filling a container with gasoline at a gas
station 20 minutes before the attack
Surveillance footage shows the attack on MaGee on November 17
Surveillance
footage showed the victim ran to the front of the train car to escape
before her attacker allegedly ignited the bottle in his hand
MaGee, of Upland in Indiana, worked as an analyst for heavy goods giant Caterpillar
US Attorney Andrew Boutros confirmed on Wednesday that the latest attack Reed is accused of was completely random.
'We've
watched the video and different angles of the video. And what we could
say is this young woman was on her phone, going through her phone,
minding her business, when [Reed] approached her and began throwing
gasoline on her,' Boutros said at a press conference.
'I've
seen reports that there was an altercation or that there was some kind
of disagreement or argument that took place. Those statements are
inaccurate and false.'
Surveillance
footage showed MaGee sitting in the train car before Reed, a complete
stranger, allegedly poured gasoline over her head and body.
In a horrifying chain of events, MaGee attempted to fight off her attacker while Reed allegedly tried to set her on fire.
Reed approached MaGee and repeatedly yelled 'burn alive b***h,' a criminal affidavit filed in federal court alleged.
The
random attack on MaGee was quickly compared to that of Iryna Zarutska, a
Ukrainian refugee who had her throat cut while traveling on a light
rail train in August. Police say the man who allegedly killed her,
DeCarlos Brown Jr, was also serial criminal with a lengthy history
The Trump Administration seized on the
attack and Reed being out on bail to bolster its claim that the National
Guard should be deployed to Chicago.
'As
President Trump has long said, violent crime in Chicago is out of
control,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail.
'Local
Democrat leaders, like (Illinois Governor JB) Pritzker, should spend
their time addressing violent crime and welcoming the president's help
on the issue instead of succumbing to their Trump Derangement Syndrome
and letting violent crime run rampant.
'This tragic crime should have never happened and it sadly highlights the dangers of Democrat control.'
Transport
Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Sunday: 'It is devastating
that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking
26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on
fire.
'This would never have happened
if this thug had been behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders
roam the streets. Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people
at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.'
A Chicago judge is facing growing backlash after she freed a career criminal with 72 arrests to his name just weeks before he allegedly set a woman on fire on a train.
Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez freed accused arson attacker Lawrence Reed, 50, in a separate case in August despite warnings that he posed a danger to the public.
Reed faced Molina-Gonzalez on August 22 on a felony aggravated battery charge, accused of slapping a social worker so hard she was knocked unconscious inside a psychiatric ward at MacNeal Hospital.
Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila told the judge at the time that Reed needed to remain in custody and argued that electronic monitoring was 'wholly insufficient' to protect the public.
'It could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious, random, and spontaneous attacks,' she told the judge, according to CWB Chicago.
Gumila's warnings allegedly proved true, as just weeks later, Reed was accused of dousing Chicago resident Bethany Magee, 26, in gasoline and setting her alight on a train on November 17.
The shocking attack and Reed's lengthy rap sheet sparked outrage online, with Elon Musk leading criticisms of Molina-Gonzalez.
'It is incredibly cruel of so many judges to push murderous thugs on the innocent public!' Musk said on X. 'And double shame on anyone who funds them to do so.'
Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez is facing backlash after she freed a career criminal with 72 arrests to his name before he allegedly set a woman on fire on a train
Just weeks after the judge freed the serial criminal, he was accused of dousing Chicago resident Bethany Magee, 26, (pictured) in gasoline and setting her alight on a train on November 17
The billionaire also shared a post showing Zarutska and Magee together, captioned with a quote from Scottish philosopher Adam Smith reading: 'Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.'
'Wise words,' Musk added, in an X post that was viewed over 24 million times in one day.
Other X users also shared footage of a speech the judge gave at a Hispanic Heritage Month event, where she said she enjoyed her previous role as a prosecutor because she had a 'chance to decide' what cases were prosecuted, as she often faced 'defendants who looked like me.'
The Daily Mail has contacted the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Cook County for comment.
Reed has been arrested over 70 times and has had multiple felony convictions over the last three decades - including a 2020 arson conviction for setting a fire outside a building in Chicago.
According to court transcripts, Molina-Gonzalez resisted prosecutors' urging to keep Reed in custody.
The judge told prosecutors as she released him in August: 'I can't keep everybody in jail because the state's attorney wants me to.'
Elon Musk led criticisms of Molina-Gonzalez, and compared Reed's case to that of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska earlier this year, who was also allegedly attacked by a career criminal on a train in North Carolina
Molina-Gonzalez (pictured) resisted the urging from prosecutors to keep Reed in custody, telling officials weeks before the alleged attack on Magee: 'I can't keep everybody in jail because the state's attorney wants me to'
At that hearing, Gumila said that when Reed allegedly knocked out a social worker in the hospital psychiatric ward, he was seen on surveillance video flying into a frenzy at random.
She said he 'became irate and slapped the victim in the face with an open palm.'
'Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness for several seconds. One of the victim’s co-workers rushed over and helped the victim walk down to her office, and the victim was then taken to the emergency room,' the prosecutor said.
Gumila said the victim suffered a cut to the cornea of her eye, a concussion, memory loss, a chipped tooth, and possible optic nerve bruising.
Despite running through Reed's lengthy rap sheet, and warning that he 'poses a real and present threat' to society, the judge set him free with just electronic monitoring.
Reed was subsequently ordered to be held without bail following the alleged attack on Magee, and he is facing charges including terrorism.
Investigators said Reed attacked MaGee at random and obtained additional security footage of Reed allegedly filling a container with gasoline at a gas station 20 minutes before the attack
Surveillance footage shows the attack on MaGee on November 17
Surveillance footage showed the victim ran to the front of the train car to escape before her attacker allegedly ignited the bottle in his hand
MaGee, of Upland in Indiana, worked as an analyst for heavy goods giant Caterpillar
US Attorney Andrew Boutros confirmed on Wednesday that the latest attack Reed is accused of was completely random.
'We've watched the video and different angles of the video. And what we could say is this young woman was on her phone, going through her phone, minding her business, when [Reed] approached her and began throwing gasoline on her,' Boutros said at a press conference.
'I've seen reports that there was an altercation or that there was some kind of disagreement or argument that took place. Those statements are inaccurate and false.'
Surveillance footage showed MaGee sitting in the train car before Reed, a complete stranger, allegedly poured gasoline over her head and body.
In a horrifying chain of events, MaGee attempted to fight off her attacker while Reed allegedly tried to set her on fire.
Reed approached MaGee and repeatedly yelled 'burn alive b***h,' a criminal affidavit filed in federal court alleged.
The random attack on MaGee was quickly compared to that of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had her throat cut while traveling on a light rail train in August. Police say the man who allegedly killed her, DeCarlos Brown Jr, was also serial criminal with a lengthy history
The Trump Administration seized on the attack and Reed being out on bail to bolster its claim that the National Guard should be deployed to Chicago.
'As President Trump has long said, violent crime in Chicago is out of control,' White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail.
'Local Democrat leaders, like (Illinois Governor JB) Pritzker, should spend their time addressing violent crime and welcoming the president's help on the issue instead of succumbing to their Trump Derangement Syndrome and letting violent crime run rampant.
'This tragic crime should have never happened and it sadly highlights the dangers of Democrat control.'
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Sunday: 'It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire.
'This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets. Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.'
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