CLEVELAND, Ohio – Two men have admitted to setting a house on fire over a rental disagreement, a move that forced a family to flee from a second-story window and killed a dog.
Tyric Green, 21, of Euclid pleaded guilty Tuesday to 21 charges in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, including aggravated arson and cruelty toward a companion animal. D’Andre Morris, 22, of Cleveland pleaded guilty last week to six similar charges.
The fire caused more than $750,000 to the home, cars and neighbors’ property, fire officials said.
Prosecutors said the men set fire to the home in the 1200 block of West 106th Street last April because Green had fallen behind on rent payments for an apartment he shared with his grandmother. The landlord, Cecilia Li, was asleep with her family. She, her husband and their 7-month-old child escaped.
On April 19, Green and Morris initially tried setting the home on fire with a flammable liquid, but they were unsuccessful, prosecutors said. They returned around 2 a.m. on April 20, and Green and Morris again tried to light the apartment on fire, this time successfully, prosecutors said.
Inside, Li’s family, as well as a cat and a dog named Salami, scrambled to escape. The dog died.
“It is by the grace of God this family escaped this horrific fire,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement. “Unfortunately, their family dog Salami did not survive.”
Initially, both Green and Morris were charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and pleaded not guilty. The attempted murder charges were dropped.
Common Pleas Judge Kelly Ann Gallagher will sentence them Sept. 24.
