Marlboro Woman Set Fire To Parents' Condo Over $50: Prosecutor

MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, NJ — The 20-year-old Morganville woman who police say deliberately set fire to her parents' condo in the Point de Jardin condo complex Sept. 9, killing her family's cat and dog, said she set the fire after her father refused to give her $50, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Suzanne Demo will remain in jail until her trial, according to the report. She allegedly said: "I'm spoiled and don't like being told 'no,'" Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Jeff St. John told the judge in court last week, the APP reported.

Patch reported on the devastating fire and the young woman's arrest immediately after it happened: The young woman with a history of substance abuse allegedly set the fire early in the morning on Sunday, Sept. 9 in a drug-induced rage, prosecutors said. Demo, 20, lived in the town home with her parents, and police said she had been arguing with her father. Prior to allegedly starting the fire, she attacked her father multiple times, stabbing him in the arms with a knife, a box cutter and a pair of scissors, police said. Her father had defensive wounds in his arms as he fought her off, police said at the time.

Then, at 3:24 a.m. that Sunday, she allegedly started the fire in her bedroom. She allegedly told police she used a lighter to set the blankets in her bedroom on fire, and that she did it to scare her father. She did not mean to set off such a big blaze, she later told investigators. Patch originally reported she started the fire in her parents' bedroom in the house. But it was revealed in court last week that the fire started in her bedroom.

When firefighters got there, the entire second floor of the condo on Roseberry Court was engulfed in flames. Demo and her parents were able to escape with the help of police and firefighters, but a search inside — after the flames were extinguished — revealed the lifeless bodies of the family's dog and cat. Both animals died of smoke inhalation.

"She literally decided on a scorched-earth policy," Superior Court Judge James J. McGann said last week, according to the APP, and decided to keep Demo in jail until her trail, deeming her a risk to the public.

Demo has been charged with one count of aggravated arson, two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and two counts of animal cruelty.

According to the APP, the prosecutor also told the judge Demo has a history of drug and mental health problems, and she was on probation for aggravated assault against a police officer. She has been previously ordered to undergo anger management.

"When she's sober, she's a fine person," her defense attorney Sean McAlary testified, according to the report.

Original article: Morganville Woman Set Marlboro Fire That Killed Pets, Police Say

Photo: Roseberry Court in the Point de Jardin condo complex in Morganville, Marlboro Twp.