Man Who Started Smyrna Apartment Fire Given Prison Time

An East Point man has been given a lengthy prison term after a fight with a woman escalated into a fire at a Smyrna apartment complex, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Ernest Alphonso Nixon, 39, allegedly began attacking a woman he was involved with while they were driving home from a party on the evening of Oct. 25, 2013. The suspected fight broke out on Interstate 20 in Douglas County, and ended when the woman was able to get Nixon out of her car and notify sheriff’s deputies about the assault.

Nixon then made his way to the woman’s Smyrna apartment and stole a loaded .38 Special revolver. When the woman got home, she noticed something was wrong and called police without entering her apartment.

Nixon escaped through a window once police arrived, but sneaked back in after officers left and started five fires inside the unit, the DA’s Office said. Although the complex’s sprinkler system contained the fires, the blazes still did some $64,000 worth of damage.

After setting the fires, Nixon fled the state. He evaded capture for several weeks, but was arrested in Pennsylvania in November of 2013. This week, Nixon pleaded guilty to two counts each of burglary, theft by taking, and arson in a Cobb County courtroom.

Following the guilty pleas, Cobb Superior Court Judge Stephen Schuster sentenced Nixon to serve 10 years in prison and 10 years on probation.

“Mr. Nixon’s rage blinded him to the real dangers posed by fire. If not for the functioning sprinkler system, this case could have been a lot worse,” ADA Brendan F. Murphy said in a statement. “This case also demonstrates how quickly domestic violence can spiral out of control. Before this night, Mr. Nixon had never laid a hand on the victim. If you are in an abusive situation, please seek help now.”