In a tragic turn of events, a Mississippi man, 33-year-old Marcos Uriel Lara Perez, faces a lifetime in prison after a horrific incident where he set seven of his roommates on fire. This heart-wrenching act, spurred by a dispute on Easter Sunday 2023, resulted in the deaths of two individuals.

On Wednesday, a judge in Hinds County sentenced Perez to 60 years in a state correctional facility for the murders of 77-year-old Filiberto Torres and 45-year-old Jose Thomas Segura Juarez. The Hinds County District Attorney, Jody E. Owens II, confirmed the sentencing, which imposes an 80-year term with 20 years suspended, following Perez’s guilty plea to two counts of second-degree murder. This plea came just a week before his trial was set to commence.

The devastating events unfolded on April 9, 2023, around 7 p.m., when emergency responders were called to a structure fire in the 700 block of Gary Drive, located roughly ten miles southwest of Jackson. Upon arrival, the home was found engulfed in flames. According to the Byram Police Department, six individuals suffering from severe burns were discovered outside the residence.

Of those victims, five were rushed to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, battling critical injuries, while the sixth person received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital. The tragic violence has left an indelible mark on the community, highlighting a shocking case of domestic discord turned deadly.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders found the home to be “fully engulfed in flames.” Six individuals suffering from severe burns were soon located outside the home, the Byram Police Department said following the incident. Five of those victims were transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) for treatment of “critical injuries.” The sixth victim was treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

While firefighters were extinguishing the flames, they discovered the body of an adult male, later identified as Torres, inside the residence.

One of the five victims suffering critical injuries was subsequently airlifted to a burn unit in Memphis, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Juarez.

A joint investigation between police and the district fire marshal determined that Perez “intentionally set” the fire. Investigators alleged that Perez “threw a bucket of gasoline on all the victims in the kitchen area of the residence, then ignited the fire using a Bic cigarette lighter, thus causing the structure to become completely engulfed in flames.”

Jackson NBC affiliate WLBT reported that Perez started the fire after he and the victims, all of whom lived in the home, got into an argument that escalated. The topic of the argument was not revealed.

Perez was also severely injured in the blaze and remained in the hospital for several days before he was booked into jail.

“This crime was especially heinous and senseless. These people were burned alive in their own home,” Owens said in a statement, Jackson NBC affiliate WLBT reported. “We thank the Byram Police and Fire Departments and medical responders for their swift response and thorough work on this case.”