Kile Zachary Carroll admitted that he set fire to the house where his wife and son were staying.
“I wish there was some way I could take it all back,” the 29-year-old said through tears Monday in a courtroom filled by both families.
His father-in-law said Carroll was lucky he didn’t get shot that night. His toddler son still wakes up screaming. His wife has retaken her maiden name.
Carroll pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree felony arson after spending more than a year in the Richland County Jail.
Brent Robinson, Richland County Common Pleas Judge, sentenced him to 11-16 years in prison on Monday.
His release is scheduled for the summer of 2035 when he will be 39 and his son nearly 13.
‘The drinking got out of control for him’
The tragedy began as a romance when Carroll, of Cardington, and Georgia Ellen Payne, of Mansfield, married in October 2021.
Their son was born less than a year later on Sept. 14, 2022.
The stress of being a father, husband and union construction worker led Carroll to turn to alcohol every day, James Mayer III, the man’s defense attorney, told the judge.
“The drinking got out of control for him in 2023,” Mayer said. “We think it’s important for the court to be aware of the alcohol use in this case.”
By Saturday, July 6, 2024 — Independence Day weekend — Georgia felt unsafe around her husband. She took their son and went to stay at her parents’ house in Mansfield.
Mayer said his client that day consumed at least 20 beers and a fifth of Jägermeister, which is about 16 shots. He said the alcohol made Carroll act out of character.
That evening, Carroll drove to the home of Todd and Donna Payne, Georgia’s parents, and tried to set it on fire.
“My client cooperated in the investigation,” Mayer said. “He has owned this conduct.”
‘His heart was prepared’
Bryan Dove, an assistant prosecutor for Richland County, played the judge surveillance videos from the crime scene.
That footage showed Carroll park a vehicle on the street, walk through the yard and disappear behind the Payne residence.
Carroll made 10 trips from his car to the house over 25 minutes, from 8:50 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
Police later learned Carroll went back to his car for more paper to burn against the side of the Payne home. The blaze never fully caught, but melted several square feet of vinyl siding.
“He was not materially prepared for what he was about to do,” Dove said. “But his heart was prepared.”
The assistant prosecutor said each trip from car to home was a renewed commitment to burning down the house.
“He nurtured the fire when the people he was supposed to be nurturing were inside,” Dove said.
During his final trip, Carroll stopped at an SUV in the driveway and put a burning object on the gas cap. That’s when Todd Payne stepped from his front door, noticed the intruder and ran inside for a gun. Carroll got in his car and drove away.
“My car’s on fire!” Payne shouted as he stood in his driveway, holding the gun.
The surveillance video displayed a stream of smoke rolling over the top of the Payne home.
“That’s not a barbecue. It’s not a campfire,” Dove said. “That’s their house, Judge.”
‘I never want to see that man again’
The Payne family still has not recovered from the night their house was set on fire, they told Robinson in court Monday afternoon.
Donna Payne said she no longer feels safe in her home and has nightmares, PTSD and anxiety.
“I don’t trust anybody,” she said. “I am terrified this is going to happen again.”
She believes Carroll had only one thought: “If he couldn’t have his wife, then no one could.”
“I fear he will be back to my house to finish what he started,” Donna Payne said. “I never want to see that man again.”
Her husband addressed the court, identifying himself as a combat veteran.
“Never did I expect to be terrorized in my own home,” Todd Payne said.
The man said he was defending his family and residence that night when he chased Carroll with a gun.
“I had him 4-foot, point blank,” Todd Payne said. “He’s lucky to be sitting here. I showed him mercy. I expect you to not show him mercy.”
‘Daddy, no! Daddy, no!’
Georgia Payne has filed to terminate her marriage with Carroll.
She said the man acted with “calloused indifference” toward not only her and her son, but also her parents.
“The trauma of the incident has left my family shaken,” Georgia said.
She said Carroll has given them all emotional scars and “granting him mercy would undermine the principles of justice.”
“Kile knowingly set fire with all of us inside,” Georgia said. “Specifically his child.”
The toddler frequently has nightmares, she said, and wakes her up shouting: “Daddy, no! Daddy, no!”
He has been diagnosed with PTSD, she said, before even reaching his third birthday.
“Kile’s actions will affect my son the rest of his life,” Georgia said. “He needs to be held accountable.”
‘Life is about choices and consequences’
Several people spoke in support of Carroll’s character as a young man. Carroll himself admitted that he became a different person once he started drinking.
In jail, he has become involved with Alcoholics Anonymous — he hopes to sponsor and influence young people to “keep them off drugs and alcohol.”
The man said he wants to use every resource available to become the best father he can be under the circumstances.
“I will use this time for the better,” Carroll said. “I’ll go back to school and earn a college degree.”
The judge told Carroll that he hoped his promises were genuine.
“If you truly mean the things you told me, you will never touch another drop of alcohol again in your life,” Robinson said. “Life is about choices and consequences.”
The man will serve a minimum sentence of 11 years, but the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction could keep him the full 16 years based upon his conduct.
He will be under post-release control for 5 years after his release from prison. For the rest of his life, he will have to visit the sheriff’s office once a year and update his registration as an arsonist.
“You can’t take back what you did; you can only live each day as it comes,” Robinson said. “Horrible decisions result in horrible consequences.”
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Carroll gets 11-16 years for setting house on fire with wife, child inside
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
