ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Alexandria man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for arson after throwing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to an apartment building in Alexandria in June 2016.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Josepha Kasai, 24, smashed a Molotov cocktail at the door of a third floor apartment unit, setting fire to the doorway and trapping nine individuals on the third floor. Kasai then went outside and threw another Molotov cocktail at the third floor apartment unit, breaking through the bedroom window. The entire building was evacuated due to the fire. A victim inside the third floor apartment jumped from his balcony and Kasai chased the victim with what appeared to be a knife. After Kasai’s arrest, he informed law enforcement he intended to kill the victim who jumped from the balcony and claimed the victim had previously stolen his iPhone.
Kasai was found guilty by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga after a bench trial on Oct. 25, 2017.
