SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield man has been convicted of killing his neighbor and setting her house on fire after a dispute over a property line.
Pavel Samsinak was convicted Friday of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, arson and tampering with evidence.
Testimony during the trial indicated Samsinak beat 66-year-old Alice Hale, to death on Sept. 21, 2020, after they argued over the property line, KYTV reported.
Saminsak then set Hale's house on fire to destroy the evidence and watched it burn from the parking lot of a nearby convenience store, prosecutors said.
Hale's body was found inside her home but investigators determined she had been beaten before the fire started.
Samsinak is scheduled to be sentenced May 11.