Man convicted of killing retired elementary school janitor neighbor and lighting her house on fire
02/11/2022 2:52 pm PST
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (TCD) -- A 48-year-old former gym owner was found guilty of killing his neighbor and lighting her house on fire in 2020.
The Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced a jury convicted Pavel Samsinak of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, second-degree arson, and tampering with evidence on Feb. 4. Samsinak reportedly killed Alice Hale, his neighbor and a retired elementary school janitor, on Sept. 21, 2020.
According to the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Hale and Samsinak got into an argument about a fence Samsinak was building between his vacant lot and her home. Samsinak, who owned the gym Czech Us Out, beat Hale "with a dangerous instrument," and then set her house on fire "to destroy evidence of the murder." The statement says Samsinak "watched her house burn from the parking lot of a nearby convenience store."
The Springfield News-Leader reports Samsinak used a baseball bat to kill the 66-year-old Hale.
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says investigators reportedly found Hale’s blood on Samsinak’s seat belt and video surveillance also showed him at the convenience store. The jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before reaching their verdict.
Samsinak will be sentenced May 11. He could face life in prison because of the second-degree murder conviction.
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