Lucas Goodrum, 21, of Scottsville was arrested Sunday in the death of Katie Autry, of Pellville. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 19. Bond was set at $1 million, and Goodrum was appointed a public advocate.
Police are not saying whether Goodrum knew the woman or whether the two might have met at a strip club.
Autry was found May 4 in her burning second-floor dorm room with third-degree burns and puncture wounds and abrasions to her face and neck. She died Wednesday, and an autopsy was pending.
Goodrum was not a student, and university police would provide no other details about him or his relationship to Autry, who attended school part time and had worked a short time as a dancer at a local strip club.
Despite the arrest, students continued to question whether they're safe in the residence halls.
Molly Sims, a junior at the 16,000-student school, said entrances to the dorms _ especially back doors _ need to be more secure.
``They're going to have to step up the security,'' said Sims, a former dorm desk clerk. ``Anyone can come in without being seen if they wanted to.''
University President Gary Ransdell repeated that all dorm security policies would be reviewed.
``We believe the residence halls are safe,'' Ransdell said, ``but we will question everything.''
Police have said little about the crime scene other than the fire was deliberately set in the nine-story hall. No other students were injured.
In Autry's hometown Sunday, family members and friends packed Pellville Baptist Church to remember the former cheerleader. The memorial service included some of Autry's favorite country and pop songs.
``We still lost Katie, and there's nothing that can bring her back to us,'' said Virginia White, her aunt.
White has said that she warned her niece of the possible dangers of dancing in a strip club. She said Sunday that police did not tell her whether there was any link to Autry's dancing.
Goodrum remained in the Warren County Regional Jail on $1 million cash bond; additional charges are expected to be filed against him, including arson.
