WASHINGTON — A man has been sentenced to decades in prison on charges that he started a house fire that led to the death of a 4-year-old girl in 2013.
Jerome Lewis, a 51-year-old D.C. resident, was sentenced Friday to 32 years in prison on charges of first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances, second-degree murder, and first-degree cruelty to children. Lewis had been found guilty of the charges in October 2017.
Lewis owned a home in the 2600 block of 33rd Street in Southeast, and in late 2011, he began renting the first and second floors to relatives while he lived in the basement. In early 2013, he was facing a financial crisis and his relationship with his tenant-relatives had become strained.
On Feb. 17, 2013, he set fire to a mattress in the basement. Everyone but 4-year-old Samauri Michelle Jenkins was able to escape as flames and smoke spread through the house.
She was taken to a hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, but died from her injuries two days later.
Police arrested Lewis the day of the fire. He had been in custody ever since.
At Friday’s sentencing, restitution for Jenkins’ estate was requested after an insurance company’s payout for the damage to Lewis’ house and personal property. A hearing was set for June 2018 to consider requests for orders of restitution or fines based on the insurance payout. Until the hearing, Lewis’ assets have been frozen.
