A Georgia man will spend the next 20 years in prison for setting fire to a woman’s home after she rejected his advances.
Jerel Jay Wilson, 29, of Union City, was found guilty Monday of arson in the first-degree, arson in the second=degree, and simple battery.
Prosecutors say Wilson broke into a woman’s apartment on September 11, 2018, set fire to her bedroom and physically attacked her for reacting his advances.
Several weeks later, he attacked her again in a hotel parking lot and set fire to her car.
Assistant District Attorney Jared Horowitz said Wilson’s “jealousy and rejection left a path of destruction.”
Horowitz said the victim was “tormented by this defendant,” and he thanked the jury for their “service during a pandemic and for delivering justice to this woman.”
He added: “This verdict sends a message that this kind of dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in Cobb County.”
Wilson will receive counseling behind bars to help him resolve his poor impulse control and anger issues before being released back into society.
