Bronx District Attorney (DA) Darcel D. Clark announced on Wednesday, Feb. 26, that a Bronx man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted by a jury of arson and burglary for setting his ex-girlfriend’s apartment on fire.

 

“After an argument with his ex-girlfriend, the defendant broke into the apartment they had shared and set fire to a mattress and futon,” Clark said. “In his desire to do harm to the victim, he also placed everyone in the building in jeopardy. Fortunately, no one was injured. The defendant has been held accountable for his reckless actions.”

 

Clark said the defendant, Michael Williams, 57, of Crotona was sentenced by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Audrey Stone on Feb. 26 to 10 years in prison and five years post-release supervision for second-degree arson, and five years in prison and five years post-release supervision for second-degree burglary. She said the sentences would run concurrently, and added that Williams was found guilty of the charges by a jury on Sept. 24, 2024.

 

According to case evidence, on June 1, 2023, the victim left her apartment on Mohegan Avenue in Crotona, which she formerly shared with the defendant, and during the day Williams called her multiple times arguing over their relationship. The court heard that the defendant broke into the apartment and set fire to a mattress in one bedroom, and to a futon in another bedroom, and that he turned on a stove burner and left the apartment.

 

Prosecutors said residents of the building were forced to evacuate and the apartment had blackened walls and extensive smoke and water damage as a result of the fire.

 

The case was prosecuted by Major Case Assistant Megan Leo of the Bronx DA’s Domestic Violence Bureau under the supervision of Simon Folkard, deputy chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau and Agata Digiovanni, chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau under the overall supervision of Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the Bronx DA’s Special Victims Division and Joseph Muroff, chief of the Special Victims Division.

 

Clark thanked Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Esposito of the Domestic Violence Bureau and FDNY Fire Marshals Michael Pritchett and Thomas Boland for their work on the case and the investigation.

 

The Bronx DA’s domestic violence unit can be reached on (718) 838 6688.

 

As previously reported, the nonprofit, Freedom Youth Family Justice Center, has long been working to help survivors of both domestic violence and human trafficking in The Bronx. Email [email protected] or call (929) 612-3667 for more information.