Man Torched Oxford House In Bizarre Case: State Police

OXFORD, CT — A New York man is charged with first-degree arson and burglary in connection to an Oxford house fire that occurred back on July 29, 2016, according to Connecticut State Police.

Leon Carson, 40, of Yonkers, NY is charged with first-degree burglary and arson and several other charges for the two-year-old fire. On July 29, 2016, a 911 call was placed concerning a fire that broke out on Route 67 in the area of the bus company, State Police said.

When fire crews arrived they found heavy smoke coming from a house at 586 Oxford Road. No one was inside. The fire originated in a bedroom and firefighters found liquid at the scene that they believed to be suspicious, the report states. A police canine would later alert to the presence of an accelerant used at the scene, State Police said.

The owner of the property said she had rented the unit to a woman and her five kids but they had not paid rent in eight months and they were in the process of being evicted, according to a State Police report. The tenant refused to leave and the owner, who has not been charged, was quoted as telling someone she hired to evict the family that "No one ever pays me. Maybe I'll burn it down," according to the State Police report.

According to the report, the owner of the house was also in debt and had renewed the insurance policy on the house prior to the fire for $300,000. According to the lengthy State Police report, Carson went into the home and set a mattress on fire, possibly with a cigarette lighter. A total of $800 had been offered to find someone to burn down the house, the report states.

Image via State Police