Lang
4/15/23
A convicted Iowa City arsonist will spend up to a half-century behind bars.
That sentence was handed down Friday by Judge Valerie Clay in the case of 34-year-old Ishmael Carter.
Iowa City Police say Carter began knocking on the door of his then-girlfriend’s Court Street apartment on June 15th of 2021. The woman told investigators that after she refused to answer, she noticed liquid spilling into her apartment under her door. The liquid then ignited, touching off a large fire that trapped all five occupants inside the third floor apartment. The group huddled outside on the balcony while firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Arriving first responders found Carter on the scene, watching the fire.
Surveillance video showed Carter at the L&M Mighty Shop on East Burlington Street shortly before the fire, purchasing lighter fluid. The bottle of lighter fluid was found in a dumpster behind the apartment building.
The other people in the apartment were the woman’s current boyfriend and three children under the age of five.
Carter was convicted on one count of Arson and five counts of Attempted Murder on January 17th. Online records show he must serve at least 25 years of the 50-year sentence before he is eligible for work release or parole.