Man sentenced to 90 months in prison for setting sleeping man on fire in Medford

 

MEDFORD, Ore — The man that set a sleeping person on fire in an alley last fall, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison Wednesday.

Medford Police says a man was lit on fire on the 100 block of S Grape Street during the evening hours of September 15th. NBC5’s surveillance cameras in the alley captured footage of the incident. 23-year old Brandon Lyon is shown trying to set several different homeless people on fire.

The victim suffered third degree burns on his hands and his feet and his condition remains unknown. There is no known connection between the two.

Lyon was arrested in Hawthorne Park the next day, after an officer spotted his clothing to have matched the description. He admitted to his actions but at the time said he wasn’t sure as to why he did it.

RELATED: Suspect arrested for setting man on fire in Medford, police say

He entered an initial plea of not guilty of several charges including arson and attempted murder. Lyon unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty last week.

Jackson County District Attorney’s office says he wanted to take responsibility for his actions. Lyon also wrote an apology letter to the victim that has not been publicly released.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Markiewicz says Lyon was high on meth at the time and has a history of mental health issues. While it may have played a factor, Markiewicz noted that the crime did not rise to a level where Lyon could have been found “guilty except for insanity.”

After negotiations of initial charges, Judge David Orr sentenced Lyon to 70 months for assault in the second degree, and 20 months for attempted arson in the first degree – about 7.5 years in prison. Lyon has also been ordered to pay restitution.

 

 

 

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