Man accused of setting girlfriend on fire in San Francisco has prior domestic violence convictions

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Man accused of setting girlfriend on fire in San Francisco has prior domestic violence convictions

The 22-year-old man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire over a laundry dispute has had three prior domestic violence convictions involving two other women, according to prosecutors.

On Thursday, Dexter Oliver pleaded not guilty to 11 felonies, including attempted murder, in connection with the broad-daylight incident Sunday in which he allegedly doused 25-year-old Starr Lamare with gasoline on a Bayview district street.

Oliver’s bail was set at $10 million and he remains in custody.

Investigators say the couple had a fight after Oliver refused to carry Lamare’s clothes to a laundromat. He reportedly filled two empty bottles of Pedialyte — commonly used to treat dehydration in babies — with gasoline, then splashed them on Lamare and set her ablaze. Police found her severely burned at Hollister Avenue and Jennings Street. Lamare is recovering at St. Francis Memorial Hospital and is expected to survive, police said.

Prosecutors said Oliver is on probation for an Oct. 26, 2011, domestic violence conviction.

Oliver’s grandmother and great-grandmother, who attended Thursday’s hearing, called Oliver “nonviolent” and said he practically grew up in a church. However, they admitted that “he has a temper.”


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URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/law-and-disorder/2013/01/man-accused-setting-girlfriend-fire-san-francisco-has-prior-domestic-