A man has been charged with attempted murder after police say he set his pregnant girlfriend on fire, causing her to have critical burns on nearly her entire body and forcing her to deliver her baby early.
Prince George's County police officers and firefighters found Andrea Grinage with critical burns on a large part of her body while responding to a fire about 11:45 a.m. Friday at 1405 Elkwood Lane, police said.
On Saturday, police identified the suspect as 34-year-old Laquinn Phillips, of Southeast D.C. Phillips has been charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, arson, assault and several related charges, police said.
Grinage told police Phillips doused her with a flammable liquid inside her apartment and set her on fire. She also told police he may be on his way to D.C. to possibly harm one of her relatives, Prince George's County police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
"She was very brave. We want her family to know how brave she was, suffering as badly as she was -- critically burned, worried about her unborn child, dealing with those injuries and was able to share that information with us so that we could get moving with our investigation and locate this person," Donelan said.
Medics took Grinage to a hospital, where she delivered the baby. Police said she and the baby are alive.
On Saturday, Grinage and the baby were in critical condition, according to police.
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“These are not the circumstances under which this baby was to be born,” Donelan said Friday.
Grinage's father, Arthur Grinage, said the baby, a girl, was born seven weeks premature and is doing OK. The baby was named Journey Aaliyah Grinage.
"She's hanging in there. She's doing fine. She's beautiful," he said.
Police said Phillips turned himself in to police in Washington, D.C. He remains in police custody in D.C., police said Saturday.
"He's a coward. He's less than a man. Walk away if you don't want the responsibility. Walk away," the victim's father said of Phillips.
Neighbors said they heard Phillips and Grinage arguing Thursday night.
