Akron man sentenced to 3 years in prison for accidental house fire that killed two

After facing two juries that could not reach a verdict, a 39-year-old Akron man was sentenced to three years in prison for causing a 2022 North Hill house fire that killed two people.

Leon Newsome pleaded guilty to reckless homicide Friday, nullifying a third jury trial scheduled on July 23, his attorney John Greven said. Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Tammy O'Brien sentenced him Tuesday afternoon.

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"When we started this out, he faced mandatory life without parole," Greven said Tuesday by phone. "We never said he didn't start the fire; we said he started it by accident."

Two jury panels failed to convict Newsome, he explained. The first jury was split 10-2. The second was 8-4.

Fire killed two sleeping on the third floor

A house fire blazed through a North Hill home on Oct. 25, 2022, killing Casey Blanchfield, 31, and Thomas "TJ" Litton, 41, who were asleep on the top floor.

Witnesses previously testified that Newsome was upset with his girlfriend and another roommate when they left for coffee that morning but were gone too long. Once they returned home, Newsome yelled at the roommates and his girlfriend moments before the fire tore through the home.

One witness who was on the second floor recalled how Newsome's girlfriend ran up the stairs and screamed about a fire. Soon after, the witness heard a "boom" or "whoosh" from the ground floor.

Summit County prosecutors argued that Newsome purposely set a couch on fire, possibly using alcohol-based accelerants. An accelerant-sniffing canine from the state fire marshal's office did not detect any gas or oil-based accelerants during the investigation.

Greven and co-counsel Nathan Ray countered that the fire was accidentally set in a house full of junk with an old couch.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron man sentenced to 3 years in prison for accidental house fire that killed two