Man Sentenced In Arson Horse Deaths Case

LAKEWOOD, CO — A man who pleaded guilty to setting eight fires in Lakewood has been sentenced to prison. The deadly arson spree killed seven horses and one dog in April 2018. Earnest Sunday Maynes, 38, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney.

Maynes pleaded guilty on April 5 to eleven felony counts, the district attorney said.

Maynes was accused of setting the fires the evening of April 28, 2018 across the city, including barns in the 5400 block of West 3rd Avenue that housed multiple horses and tons of hay. Firefighters were able to rescue some animals, but others perished.

Maynes's path of arson stretched along Sheridan Boulevard between 3rd and 22nd Avenues, starting around 3 a.m., according to an arrest affidavit.

A key witness was a female housemate of Maynes in the 5400 block of West 3rd place who told police he had been "starting small fires using scraps of paper as fuel," and she had heard him muttering in the hallway about wanting to "blow things up" and saying he "wanted to watch the world burn," police said in the affidavit. She told police she and her sister scrambled to move their sleeping children out of the house after Maynes allegedly tried to set her window screen on fire. Witnesses told police "some crazy white guy with lots of tats was starting fires."

West Metro Fire & Rescue investigation found evidence that the fires were intentionally set. At several of the sites, a canine detection dog "alerted to hydrocarbons (ignitable liquids)," the arrest affidavit said.

Surveillance video a 7-eleven and a business across the street captured images of a man who resembled Maynes obtaining gas from a gas pump and lighting a lighter near a car, prosecutors said.

Maynes had five prior felony convictions. His sentence was handed down Friday.

Jean Lotus contributed to this report.

Related:

Horses Killed In Suspicious Lakewood Barn Fire

Horse-Killing Barn Arson: Lakewood Suspect Set 9 Fires, Cops Say