Chicago man fatally shot woman in head, then set her home on fire in 2023: police

Joshua Mims, 37

A Chicago man is accused of fatally shooting a woman in the head and then setting her home on fire last year.

Joshua Mims, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson for allegedly killing 32-year-old Raquel Adams and setting her residence on fire on May 12, 2023. 

Police said officers on patrol that morning noticed a small fire along the side of Adams’ home in the 6400 block of South Damen Avenue. When officers searched the property, they discovered Adams unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. 

She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Following a joint investigation, the Chicago Police Department, in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested Mims on Tuesday.

Mims is scheduled for a detention hearing on Thursday.