Local

Man accused of setting girlfriend on fire ordered to stand trial

PITTSBURGH — A Springdale woman testified Monday that her boyfriend held her 3-month-old baby out of a second-story window before setting her on fire in her North Side apartment in February.

Maria Redman, 22, testified that Clinton Cohen, of Wilkinsburg, accused her of cheating on him in the early morning hours of Feb. 28. She said he became angry and suddenly took her infant daughter from a crib. Cohen took the baby to an open window, she said, and held the infant girl out by her onesie.

“He said to me, ‘That baby's not mine, I don't care,’” Redman testified.

She said she was able to convince Cohen, 27, to bring the baby back inside.

As the argument escalated, Redman told Harmar District Judge David Sosovicka's courtroom, he began punching and choking her. He then doused her with perfume and used a lighter to set her on fire. After a few seconds, she said, Cohen used a blanket to douse the flames and he left the apartment a few minutes later.

Following the preliminary hearing testimony, Sosovicka order Cohen to stand trial on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, arson and related charges.

Police also charged him Monday with a count of endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly dangling the baby out of the window.

Redman suffered second- and third-degree burns and was hospitalized for nine days.

Cohen remains in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

Channel 11’s news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.