Man goes from hero to felon in seven months

The MLK Boulevard man is likely to get four years in prison when he's sentenced.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- When Willie Hill burst into a burning house seven months ago and rescued its 71-year-old occupant, he was a hero.
But when authorities found out he was the one who set the fire, he became a villain.
And when he confessed it in court, he became a felon.
Hill, 37, of Martin Luther King Boulevard, pleaded guilty Friday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to attempted aggravated arson and burglary. Judge R. Scott Krichbaum will sentence him Tuesday morning.
Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence.
Hill did some work as a handyman for Clara Smith, who lived on West Dewey Avenue.
In November 2001, Smith was sleeping in the house while Hill was supposed to be repairing the front porch.
She woke up to find her house filled with smoke and Hill helping her outside, said Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Pochiro.
What witness said
Then, according to court records, Hill grabbed a bucket, scooped some water from the bathtub and doused the burning curtains in an upstairs bedroom, where the fire had started. Smith had been sleeping downstairs.
"The firemen at the scene were talking about what a great job he'd done," Pochiro said.
But then a neighbor reported having seen Hill climbing out an upstairs window and down a ladder with a TV under his arm as smoke poured out the window.
He put the TV on the ground before going back inside to rescue the woman.
Authorities knew the fire started in the room from which the TV was taken.
Hill maintained at first that it was electrical, but investigators found no evidence of grounding or shorting on the cord. They said the curtains had been set on fire, and ruled the blaze arson.
The matter was set for trial next week, but Hill opted to plead guilty instead.
Defense attorney Dennis DiMartino was not sure what prompted Hill to set the fire and try to rob the woman with whom he'd apparently been friends for years.
"It's a strange case," he said.
bjackson@vindy.com