Man burns house over lawn, Phillip Roger Bennett, 58, of Cartersville, Ga. allegedly poured two
cans of gasoline into his neighbor's kitchen on Wednesday before
lighting it and watching the house burn.
The blaze was started while the neighbor, Marty Corbitt, was inside the
house with his 3-year-old daughter. Both managed to escape unharmed.
Bennett fled the scene, then turned himself in Thursday morning to U.S. Marshals in Murphy, N.C.
According to Corbitt, he had lived across the street from Bennett for
the past four years and had a relatively good relationship until about a
week ago when Bennett began complaining about the height of his grass.
"[He] slapped me across the face and said, 'Mow your grass,'" Corbitt told NBC affiliate 11 Alive.
"My grass is too tall for him. I was going to cut it today when he set
it on fire," Corbitt added in an interview with My Fox Atlanta. "Then he grabs the gas can, starts pouring it into the kitchen. As he's pouring, he takes his lighter and lights it. Flames were everywhere."
As the flames spread, Corbitt told Fox News, he grabbed his daughter and
ran out of the house, which belonged to his grandmother.
According to Corbitt, the fire destroyed everything he owned.
Immediately after the fire, Corbitt's daughter expressed concern for her
tricycle, which was destroyed in the blaze, prompting neighbors to chip
in and by her a brand new bike within hours of the fire.
"I honestly can't imagine what goes through someone's head to make them
want to murder someone and their child over grass," Corbitt said. "He
was actually a pretty good neighbor up until last week. And then he just
went complete psycho."
Bennett, who police initially described as armed and dangerous before he
surrendered himself to authorities, reportedly has an extensive
criminal history.
Bennett initially made contact with the Marshalls prior to his surrender over the phone, according to Cartersville police.
The 58-year-old suspect is currently being housed in a county jail in
Murphy, N.C., and will eventually be relocated to Cartersville.
