A Weber County man charged with breaking into his ex-wife's house in Layton and setting a fire that destroyed it in May has pleaded guilty to two reduced charges in 2nd District Court.
Jeffrey W. Nelson, 39, Washington Terrace, was charged with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony, and burglary, a second-degree felony, and faced up to life in prison in the May 9 fire.Nelson pleaded guilty Dec. 12 to burglary and criminal mischief, a third-degree felony, and now faces up to 15 years in prison, according to court records. Sentencing is set for Jan. 23.
According to police, Nelson broke into the home of Cynthia Nelson, his ex-wife, at 2 a.m. May 9 and, after breaking a mirror in her bedroom, poured a flammable liquid around the house and set it on fire. The blaze gutted the home at 1083 W. 2450 North.
No one was home when the house burned. It was awarded to Cynthia Nelson during their 1992 divorced.
Layton police who questioned Nelson later that morning noticed a trail of blood leading from his parked car into his house and a cut on his hand, according to court records.
Nelson was arrested that morning, charged with aggravated arson and burglary. According to court records, Nelson confessed to police during his questioning that he set the fire.
In papers filed with the court, defense attorney Robert Archuleta maintained that Nelson, an alcoholic, had been drinking heavily the day of the fire and had been abusing three prescription drugs, clouding his ability to think and blunting the prosecution's stance that the fire was set intentionally.
The fire may have started accidentally from a cigarette, according to the defense.
Court and Corrections Department records show that Cynthia Nelson sought a protective order against her husband while they were married, saying he pushed and assaulted her while he was drinking.
During one 1989 incident, Nelson chased his wife outside the house and, after getting into an argument with a neighbor's wife, assaulted the woman's husband and was sent to prison on an aggravated assault conviction.
Nelson was paroled three times, in 1991, 1992 and 1993, but was sent back to prison each time for violating parole, according to prison records. He was paroled again in 1994 and the parole expired a month before the arson incident.