MESA, Ariz. — A man who started a fire at a Mesa apartment last year that caused severe injuries to the home's resident, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted murder.

Lyle Samuel, 57, was recently sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court after pleading guilty to charges of attempted first-degree murder and arson, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

Last August, the defendant doused the doorway of an East Valley apartment with gasoline and set the area on fire. Prosecutors said the apartment's resident was forced to jump out a window, fully engulfed in flames.

The victim reportedly sustained extensive burn injuries and was hospitalized for nearly a month.

MCAO said Samuel reportedly told investigators the victim owed him $300. Lighter fluid and a rece

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