An Alabama man has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to arson for setting his father's house on fire in Connersville, Indiana, resulting in the death of the family's dog and cat. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana reported that 34-year-old Tommy Lee Harrison Sr. carried out the attack after traveling from his home in Birmingham, Alabama. Harrison will also face two years of supervised release following his 57-month incarceration.
Driving through the night, as detailed in court documents shared by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Harrison made a stop at a Walmart in Elizabetown, Kentucky, to purchase a can of black spray paint before reaching the house. The harrowing footage from the incident's night showed him parking next to the victim's home and preparing what was later revealed to be an act that would scar a family and a community.
At around 1:40 am on October 29, 2021, he executed his plan. According to a statement by Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Harrison's actions "had a devastating impact not only on the immediate victims, but on the community of Connersville as well." Myers added that the arson "uprooted a family, destroyed their peace of mind, and shook the small town in which his father was a prominent community leader." The property was also defaced with a racial slur using the spray paint Harrison had purchased previously.
The multi-agency investigation, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, led to Harrison's identification and subsequent arrest upon returning to Alabama. Imparting justice, U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson imposed the sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley P. Shepard, whose work, alongside investigators, was praised by U.S. Attorney Myers for its talents and persistence.
