Man sentenced to 15 years for setting Mesa apartment on fire over $300 debt

PHOENIX — A man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting to setting an East Valley apartment on fire because the man inside owed him $300, according to prosecutors.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) said Lyle Terence Samuel, 57, pleaded guilty in August to attempted first-degree murder and arson for the crime, which happened in Mesa in August 2024.

He was sentenced for setting the fire, which sent a man to the hospital for weeks, earlier this month.

“This fire could’ve had catastrophic consequences,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release Thursday. “Innocent families and children were recklessly put at risk over a few hundred dollars.”

Charges of endangerment, criminal damage and aggravated assault were dropped as part of a plea deal, according to court records.

Details of arson that severely injured man in Mesa

On the morning of Aug. 30, 2024, Samuel went to the victim’s apartment near Main Street and Gilbert Road in Mesa, doused the entryway with gasoline and set it on fire, prosecutors said.

The fire blocked the only way out of the apartment and forced a man inside to jump out of a window in order to escape.

The man suffered severe burns to his hands, feet and body and was cut by broken glass as he tried to escape, according to MCAO.

The victim was hospitalized for about a month and required multiple surgeries due to his injuries, prosecutors added.

One other person was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, the Mesa Fire and Medical Department said at the time.

Investigators later found lighter fluid and a receipt for gasoline in Samuel’s RV. A police K9 also detected accelerants on his shoes, according to prosecutors.

After being taken into custody, Samuel said he knew that the fire could have killed someone, but he was worried more about $300 that the victim owed him, according to MCAO.

Related

1 person hospitalized with burn injuries after Mesa apartment fireKimberly Yee leading Tom Horne in bitter GOP primary for Arizona schools chiefWarren Petersen leading in GOP primary for Arizona attorney generalAlex Kolodin tops former state party chair in secretary of state primary raceJay Feely projected winner in CD-1; Dem race still too close to callMark Lamb wins AZ-5 Republican primary, will face newcomer Elizabeth Lee