REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 67-year-old man from Farmington Hills is going to spend at least 40 years in prison for setting a woman on fire.
Background: Man arrested for setting 63-year-old woman on fire as she left work in Redford
William Helmer was sentenced Wednesday, Nov. 29, on charges that included assault with intent to murder.
The charges stem from the attack of Dorothy Spinella outside a Redford Township Coney Island in 2019. Investigators said he walked up, doused her with gasoline and lit her on fire. She was critically injured and suffered burns on nearly 50% of her body.
Spinella did not come to court and let the prosecutor speak for her.
The judge said Helmer’s long history of violence influenced the sentencing.
“After sitting through your trial, viewing the photographs, observing the psychological effect you’ve had on the victim, I’ve come to one conclusion,” said Judge Shannon Walker. “You are a cold-blooded human being and there is no justification for your actions.”
Prosecutors pushed for a 75-year sentence, but Walker gave him a minimum of 40 years, which could keep him behind bars the rest of his life.
