Man Douses Girlfriend With Gas, Throws Lit Cigarette: Cops

Girlfriend tries to raise money to bail him out of jail

By JENNIFER MILLMAN

Updated 9:45 AM EST, Wed, Oct 14, 2009

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She's standing by her man, despite allegations he strangled her, doused her with gasoline and "threw a lit cigarette on her," according to a report.

Danny Gonzales, 31, pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday to an array of arson, murder, mischief and assault-related charges after cops said he attacked his girlfriend. The victim, who police say suffered a burn to her foot but didn't go to the hospital right after the assault, managed to get away and got help from a neighbor, who called the cops.

Despite what she allegedly endured, the woman told a judge yesterday that she wasn't hurt and didn't want to pursue charges, reports Newsday. She attended Gonzales' arraignment in Hempstead with her baby.

"Were you hurt, ma'am?" Judge Donald Birnbaum asked, according to the paper.

"No," the woman said. "I don't want to proceed. I don't want to go further."

Moments before the victim said she didn't want to prosecute, the prosecutor said his office planned to file charges against Gonzales, who works with the Hempstead sanitation department. The prosecutor said the victim told cops that this wasn't the first time she had been attacked, but it was the first time she feared "he was going to kill me," according to Newsday.

Bail was set at $5,000 bond and $2,500 cash.

The victim, who opted not to speak with a Newsday reporter yesterday, was apparently raising money for Gonzales' bail.

The defendant's attorney, Vito Palmieri of Mineola, said his client voluntarily turned himself into the authorities. While the argument he had with his girlfriend may have escalated, Palmieri said it didn't go down the way cops described, reports Newsday. Palmiere didn't say what actually happened, but said his client denied the charges.