DETROIT (AP) - A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 to 65 years in prison for a Detroit house fire that killed his mother and brother.
The Wayne County prosecutor’s office says Byron Miles was sentenced Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court for the Nov. 1 fire on the city’s northeast side. He earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and arson in an agreement with prosecutors.
Charges of first-degree murder, which are punishable by a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole after conviction, were dismissed.
MLive.com reports authorities said Miles, then 18, lit the house on fire with 49-year-old Melinda Miles and his 16-year-old brother inside. At the time, neighbor Brian Woods said Miles came running to his home for help as flames consumed the house.
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