Richmond police are investigating the slaying of a man who was beaten to death and then set on fire in an industrial area of the city, authorities said today.The victim, 27-year-old Michael Lee Williams of North Richmond, was unrecognizable when firefighters found his body burning Sunday night next to railroad tracks on the 700 block of Spring Street, police said. Lt. Mark Gagan said someone called 911 around 11:30 p.m. to report the blaze, but firefighters didn't immediately realize it was a person.
An autopsy determined that Williams had been set ablaze after he was beaten to death, Gagan said.
There was blood at the scene of the fire, which could indicate Williams was beaten there, police said. The brutality of the crime leads investigators to believe that the motive went beyond typical street or drug violence, Gagan said.
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