Man Convicted of Setting Fire That Killed Daughter, Friend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A suburban Kansas City man has been convicted of setting a house fire that killed his 14-month-old daughter and an adult.

A Jackson County jury on Friday found 35-year-old Stephen Elijah of Grandview guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Elijah was acquitted of an arson charge in the September 2014 fire.

The blaze killed 14-month-old Se’Asia Elijah and 37-year-old Anika Hobley of Kansas City. Two girls in the home escaped and alerted a neighbor.

When fire crews arrived, they found Elijah trying to put out the fire with a garden hose. He told police when he poured gasoline on a fire that was about to go out, the gas can exploded. He threw the can against a wall and the fire spread.