On Monday, November 24, 2025, the Daily Mail reported that Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez is facing increasing criticism after releasing Lawrence Reed, a man with a history of 72 arrests, just weeks before he allegedly set a 26-year-old woman on fire on a Chicago train. The victim, Bethany Magee, a devout Christian, was allegedly doused in gasoline and set alight on November 17.
Reed, 50, had appeared before Molina-Gonzalez on August 22 on a felony aggravated battery charge. He was accused of attacking a social worker at MacNeal Hospital, reportedly slapping her so hard that she lost consciousness inside a psychiatric ward.
During the August hearing, Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila argued that Reed should remain in custody, asserting that electronic monitoring would be insufficient to protect the public from his potential for further violent acts. Gumila warned the judge that Reed posed a “real and present threat” and was capable of “vicious, random, and spontaneous attacks,” according to CWB Chicago.
The recent attack on Magee has ignited public outrage, with Elon Musk joining the chorus of critics. Musk expressed his dismay on X, stating, “It is incredibly cruel of so many judges to push murderous thugs on the innocent public!” He also criticized those who fund such judicial decisions. Musk drew parallels between Reed’s case and that of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was also allegedly attacked by a career criminal on a train in North Carolina on August 22.
Other X users have circulated footage of Judge Molina-Gonzalez speaking at a Hispanic Heritage Month event, where she mentioned her preference for her previous role as a prosecutor. She stated that she appreciated the “chance to decide” which cases were prosecuted, particularly when dealing with “defendants who looked like me.”
Reed’s criminal history includes multiple felony convictions over the past three decades, including a 2020 arson conviction for setting a fire outside a building in Chicago. Despite this extensive record, Molina-Gonzalez resisted prosecutors’ pleas to keep him in custody. According to court transcripts, the judge stated, “I can’t keep everybody in jail because the state’s attorney wants me to.”
Prosecutor Gumila detailed the August incident involving the social worker, explaining that Reed became agitated and struck the victim in the face with an open palm. The impact caused the victim to lose consciousness and suffer a cut to her cornea, a concussion, memory loss, a chipped tooth, and potential optic nerve bruising.
Following the alleged attack on Magee, Reed was ordered to be held without bail and is now facing charges, including terrorism. US Attorney Andrew Boutros confirmed that the attack appeared to be random, stating that Magee was “minding her business” on her phone when Reed approached her and began pouring gasoline on her.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Magee sitting in the train car before Reed allegedly poured gasoline over her head and body. He then allegedly yelled “burn alive b***h” while trying to set her on fire, according to a criminal affidavit filed in federal court.
The Trump Administration has seized on the incident to support its argument for deploying the National Guard to Chicago. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated that “violent crime in Chicago is out of control” and criticized local Democrat leaders for not accepting the president’s help. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy added that the attack “would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars.”
Source: Daily Mail
