A Florida man allegedly traveled hundreds of miles to burn down his ex-girlfriend’s Columbus home. She was on the phone when it happened.
A woman in Columbus, Ohio got a terrifying phone call from her ex-boyfriend — only to realize he wasn’t calling from Florida. He was already inside her apartment.
Jermal Dequan Freeman, 28, of Florida City, is now behind bars after allegedly setting fire to his ex-girlfriend’s apartment on April 10 while she watched helplessly on FaceTime.
“I got your knife. I told you I wasn’t playing with you.” — Freeman, in a prior threat to the victim
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Freeman put a blanket inside the woman’s oven and turned it on — telling her exactly what he was about to do before he did it.
The victim was not home at the time. She told investigators Freeman had previously threatened to stab her with a kitchen knife and kill her friends. She had already reported him to police before the fire.
Freeman had traveled from the Miami-Dade area all the way to Columbus to carry out the attack. Witnesses say he was trying to catch a flight back to Florida when officers arrested him on May 15.
Charges filed
- Aggravated arson
- Aggravated menacing
- Identity theft
Freeman is currently held in Franklin County Jail on a $95,000+ bond. He is represented by the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office, with court dates set for this Friday and May 28.
