Brockton man charged with setting apartment door on fire after being refused entry

BOSTON, February 8, 2023 — A Brockton man was charged yesterday with attempting to set fire to a woman’s Roxbury apartment last month after the woman refused to let him in, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

STANLEY WILLIAMS, 71, was charged in Roxbury BMC with arson of a dwelling and malicious destruction of property over $1,200.  Prosecutors requested Williams be held in lieu of $250 bail.  Judge David Poole released Williams on person recognizance and ordered him to return to court February 24 for a pre-trial conference.

On January 13 Boston police responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment building on Seaver Street in Roxbury.  Upon arrival, officers noticed burn marks on the apartment unit’s entrance door as well as burn marks on the door mat.  Officers also noticed smoke in the building and water on the floor around the mat.

The resident of the apartment told police that Williams, a man known to her, had entered the building and continually banged on her door.  She refused to let him in. When the banging stopped, the woman opened the door and noticed that it, along with the mat, was on fire.  The woman poured water on the door and mat to extinguish the flames.  Using information provided by the woman, police sought an arrest warrant for Williams.  He was arrested on Monday. 

“It isn’t difficult to imagine the potential consequences here if the victim hadn’t acted quickly to douse the flames before they grew out of control.  Instead of simply walking away from a situation where he wasn’t welcomed, this man made things much worse for himself and created a potential for a far more tragic outcome,” Hayden said.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications