A Mesa man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for setting fire to an apartment in an arson attack that left one man severely injured, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced this week.
Lyle Terence Samuel, 57, pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and arson of an occupied structure, both Class 2 dangerous felonies.
According to investigators, Samuel doused the entryway of the victim’s apartment with gasoline last August and set it ablaze, blocking the only exit. The victim, trapped inside, was forced to leap through a window. By the time he escaped, his body was engulfed in flames, and he suffered deep burns and cuts from shattered glass.
Authorities later found lighter fluid, gasoline receipts, and accelerant traces on Samuel’s shoes. In interviews, he admitted the fire “could have been deadly” but focused his concern on a $300 debt he claimed the victim owed him.
The victim spent nearly a month in the hospital undergoing multiple surgeries for extensive burns to his hands, feet, and body. The fire also caused major damage to the apartment complex, placing nearby families at risk.
“This fire could’ve had catastrophic consequences. Innocent families and children were recklessly put at risk over a few hundred dollars,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. “Arson is tough to prosecute, but thanks to the efforts of our team, offenders like these are held accountable.”
Samuel’s case was prosecuted by Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Hutcheson.
