BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) - A 25-year-old man who intentionally set a house fire that killed an 8-year-old Battle Creek girl has been sentenced in her death.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports (https://bcene.ws/1gFCU8Z ) that Calhoun County Circuit Court Judge Conrad Sindt sentenced Jesse Tatum Monday to 39 years to 80 years in prison.
Tatum was charged with second-degree murder in Karrina Johnson’s November 2012 slaying.
Tatum earlier had told the court that he poured gas on a couch on porch and set it ablaze. He said he didn’t think children were at home after knocking on the door.
Karrina died at a hospital after a firefighter pulled her from the burning home. Two of her siblings escaped by jumping from a second-floor window.
Officials say the fire followed an argument between Tatum and Karrina’s mother.
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Information from: Battle Creek Enquirer, https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com
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