MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (TCD) —Â A 32-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally stabbing his 41-year-old neighbor and then setting her house on fire while her 8-year-old daughter was inside.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said that on Nov. 20, 2018, Dominique Swopes stabbed the victim to death in her home near Longwood Road and Mayfield Road. Afterward, he set the home on fire before the Mayfield Police and Fire Department responded.
The victim, identified as Rebecca Pletnewski by WOIO-TV, was pronounced dead at the scene. The 8-year-old girl, Olivia Schneider, was reportedly found trapped on the second floor, and she was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased from smoke inhalation.
A week later, on Nov. 27, 2018, Swopes was arrested, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
On Wednesday, March 1, the Prosecutor’s Office said Swopes pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated murder, one count of burglary, and one count of aggravated arson. He was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility of parole after 40 years.
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