NEW HAVEN — A New Haven man is heading to prison for strangling an acquaintance and setting fire to his city apartment.
The New Haven Register reports that Demetrius Robinson was sentenced Thursday in New Haven to 25 years behind bars for the 2015 death of 56-year-old Willie Evans.
Robinson pleaded guilty in August to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree arson under a plea deal. He originally faced a murder charge.
Police said Robinson killed Evans then set fire to his public housing apartment to cover up the crime. Investigators initially thought Evans died from smoke inhalation, but the medical examiner determined Evans died from “neck compression homicide.”
Prosecutors said the men knew each other and records show multiple phone calls between the two.
Robinson declined to speak in court.
