A man previously convicted of kidnapping his fiancée and setting her on fire in a Stamford park more than 20 years ago is now facing a new domestic violence case.

Kevin Epps, 48, of Norwalk, was arraigned Thursday in Stamford Superior Court.

The bail commissioner said Epps has 20 prior convictions—the most serious of which occurred at the Stamford courthouse.

The latest arrest came Wednesday by Darien police, who would only say officers responded to a domestic violence incident at a home on the Post Road. They arrested Epps in Norwalk on charges of first-degree strangulation, second-degree strangulation, second-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree threatening and disorderly conduct and set bond at $2 million.

“A very dangerous individual in the state's view,” Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning told the court. “The victim in this case is very fearful of the defendant and validly so based on the allegations contained in the report.”

Manning also said she’d charged Epps with being a persistent serious felony offender, which increases the potential penalty if Epps is convicted in the case. She explained the decision was due to a brutal attack in Rosa Hartman Park in 2004.

“The defendant kidnapped his romantic partner and lit her and the van on fire,” Manning stated.

Epps, who lived in Stamford at the time, went on trial in that case in 2005. The victim testified that he dragged her to his van, choked her out till she lost consciousness, then doused her in gasoline and set her on fire. She was left seriously disfigured.

A jury convicted Epps of kidnapping and assault. He was sentenced on both charges to 35 years in prison.

But a few years later, the state Supreme Court ruled Connecticut’s kidnapping law was too broad, and a defendant couldn’t be convicted of kidnapping in conjunction with another crime like assault if the restraint was done to commit the assault. That led to Epps’ kidnapping conviction, and the 15-year sentence he received for it, to be overturned in 2018.

Epps was facing a new trial on the kidnapping charge and pleaded guilty in 2023. The court sentenced him to 20 years, but ruled it would run concurrently to the assault sentence, not consecutively. He was released from prison in 2023.

On Thursday, Assistant Public Defender Albert Unger told the judge, “Mr. Epps strongly denies the strangulation allegations. He lives in Norwalk with his aunt, Your Honor, and is self employed as a truck driver.”

The prosecution requested Epps' bond be raised to $3 million, which Judge Alex Hernandez agreed to, leading Epps to shake his head in disbelief. Hernandez sited the serious nature of the charges, the strength of the evidence and Epps’ prior criminal record.

The judge also issued a protective order barring Epps from contact with the victim. He can only post bond at the courthouse after a hearing to set release conditions.

Epps is due back in court April 25.