Arizona man sentenced to 4 years in prison after setting 2 houses on fire last year
Jul 16, 2024, 4:35 AM | Updated: 5:37 am
A 19-year-old Phoenix man pled guilty to arson and was sentenced to prison after damaging two houses last May. (City of Phoenix file photo)
(City of Phoenix file photo)
PHOENIX — An Arizona arsonist was sentenced to four years in prison after igniting two West Phoenix houses on fire last May, authorities said.
The Phoenix Fire Department responded to a fire at a uninhabited home on May 29, 2023 and was alerted to a second house fire just a few days later. Two people were inside the second home but made it out before suffering any injury.
Officers said the fires caused an estimated $45,000 in damages.
Which Arizona arsonist was sentenced?
The suspect, 19-year-old Osman Perez Vazquez, confessed to committing the crime during his arrest. He said he set the fires because he believed the victims, his neighbors, were stalking him and stealing his belongings. Vazquez also said he planned to set his mother’s house ablaze.
Vazquez pled guilty to two counts of arson of an occupied structure in May.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Vazquez was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections and three years of supervised probation following release.
“I take a tough approach to this type of crime because of the physical, financial and emotional damage it does to the victims,” Mitchell said in Monday press release. “These types of cases are challenging to prosecute and require a specific set of skills. I commend Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Hutcheson for holding this offender accountable.”
