Man Tries To Burn Down Alexandria Residence, Kill Over iPhone

ALEXANDRIA, VA—An Alexandria man was convicted Wednesday for arson after throwing Molotov cocktails at an apartment building in the city.

According to court documents, Josepha Kasai, 23, admitted to throwing Molotov cocktails at a third floor apartment unit at 5349 Taney Avenue with the intent to kill in June 2016. A fire started when he threw the devices at a front door and through a window, trapped nine people on the third floor. The building, which has six apartment units, was evacuated. One person was injured in the fire.

One of the victims who lived at the apartment told authorities Kasai came to his door and dropped a Molotov cocktail, saying "I'm going to burn your house down and going to kill you." The victim, who knew Kasai, tried to get his mother and aunt to safety on the balcony, then jumped. At that point, authorities say Kasai chased him with a knife.

The victim led Kasai away from the home in a chase, and Alexandria Police arrived to arrest the suspect. Kasai confessed to authorities he intended to kill the victim, saying he stole his iPhone. He added that he made the Molotov cocktails, and killing the victim would have made him "proud."

Kasai was convicted of arson and possession of an unregistered destructive device and faces five to 30 years in prison when sentenced on Feb. 9, 2018.

Image via Shutterstock